Speedboats, jet skis and cars are among the thousands of items gardaí around the country will be displaying tomorrow as part of the first National Property Recovered Day.
The initiative encourages members of the public to visit Garda stations as well as hotels, shopping centres and community centres where catalogues containing images of lost and stolen property will be displayed.
It is hoped that attendees will be able to reclaim items belonging to them, and details of locations where the catalogues will be displayed can be found on the www.garda.ie website or on this flickr page.
Speaking at a press conference in Pearse Street Garda station on Wednesday where gardaí displayed a sample of items including phones, jewellery, a printer and a brand new angle grinder, Assistant Commissioner Jack Nolan appealed for people to mark their property so it will be recoverable if lost or stolen.
"By and large An Garda Síochána finds it very difficult to return property to owners. There are a number of reasons for that.
“Owners of property oftentimes do not have any identifying numbers, they cannot prove it is their property,” he said.
“When you see the array of property recovered sometimes it can be difficult to understand why individuals will not put an identifying mark on it, it would be really helpful if there was a unique identifying mark on all property,” he added.
Around 700 people attended a pilot viewing of catalogues in Kilkenny earlier this year, and people can peruse items taken in by gardaí on the Property in Garda Possession section of the force’s website.
Mr Nolan gave numerous examples of people successfully reunited with property by gardaí in the recent past, such as a French student who lost her camera on a trip to Wicklow, and a German man who was reunited with a €9,000 bicycle he lost after taking part in the Dublin City Triathlon.
Gardaí have also recovered some 150 stolen, and sometimes dismantled, vehicles in the Dublin region as part of a special operation this year, many of which have been returned to their rightful owners.
Those attending Thursday’s showings are advised to bring photos, evidence of insurance claims or any other proof of ownership they may have of property they are hoping to get back.
People are also asked to attach their Eircode to property in order to make it easier for gardaí to return, and farmers can use the Irish Farmers Association’s TheftStop.ie tool to register equipment.