Police open up Aladdin's cave of stolen goods which may have come from Harrow, Barnet or Brent (From Harrow Times)

Police open up Aladdin's cave of stolen goods which may have come from Harrow, Barnet or Brent

5:36pm Sunday 14th March 2010 in

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A TREASURE trove of thieved goods went on display yesterday in the hope burglary victims would be able identify their lost items.

Tens of thousands of pounds worth of property was laid out at Brent Town Hall, in Forty Lane, for people to check for any possessions which may have been stolen from their home.

Brent police invited 1,100 people, who are on their files as being victims of burglary, to attend the Aladdin's Cave event in a bid to reunite them with their items, which included about ten TVs, 50 mobile phones and numerous pieces of jewellery.

Detective Superintendent Steve Kershaw ran a similar scheme in Wandsworth and hoped the weekend's event would reassure residents that officers are taking action on burglary issues.

He said: “Not only can people come and see if we have get their property, but we can get out the messages about community safety and build people's confidence in our work.

“By inviting victims to the event, whether we repatriate the items with people or not, we are saying that even though time has gone by, we have not forgotten about their cases.”

The stocks of stolen items on display represented only “the tip of the iceberg” according to DS Kersharw, who explained most of the objects had been recovered during operations when the criminal was not able to account for why they were in their possession.

“The stuff is what we have recovered from people who we believe have stolen it, but they try to stay one step ahead by not letting us know where it has come from,” he said, adding that the items were discovered across areas of Brent, Harrow and Barnet.

“Burglars don't hit the same boundaries as the police, so much of this may come from neighbouring boroughs.”

People were shown round the displays and then questioned about the details of an incident if they thought they recognised something belonging to them.

Police said the possessions that are not collected will go on to auction.

Visitors were also offered crime prevention advice and support from the police, the council and voluntary organisations including Victim Support.

Detective Inspector Rebecca Reeve, of the burglary and robbery investigation team, said locating the owners of the property helps officers press ahead with prosecutions.

She said: “It is important we reunite people with their possessions so we can solve the crime. If we have no victim, we have no justice.

“If we can't trace a victim then there can't be a prosecution. That is the vital link for the investigation.

“Burglary have have an emotional impact on people, it's a serious crime, and we have to do everything we can to identify those responsible.”