DETECTIVES are warning people in the run-up to Christmas not to buy stolen property – as you could face a police prosecution.
Detective Chief Inspector Alan Curtis said: "We are now in the time of year when we seasonally see the number of burglaries and shop thefts increase.
"This is down to criminals wanting to make money fast and the fact that people and shops have more lucrative items for them to steal.
"Again, police will do all they can to try to identify and target these criminals, but we often need people to be our eyes and ears.
"Do you know somebody who seems to have a lot of property being taken into their address that might not be legitimate?
"Have you seen somebody selling things door to door or on the streets that again might be stolen? If you have then please let us know.
"We need to stop these people committing crime. It could be your house which is targeted next."
The force said that people who steal often do so to feed a drink and/or drug habit.
A spokesperson said: "They steal the items, be it a TV, an Xbox or a mobile phone from your home or a joint of meat, some clothing or alcohol from a shop, and then attempt to sell it on.
"The thief will approach a member of the public, either in the street or by knocking at your door, and try to sell their stolen items for a fraction of its value.
"Some people will buy this item and think nothing more about, not realising they have just committed a criminal offence and could face police prosecution.
"Another way that they might try to make money is to sell these items via a local secondhand dealer. Police work closely with secondhand dealers to ensure that all property that is sold to them is registered.
"A record of the person who brought it in is kept, and can be passed to police when required. This works very effectively and gives thieves less of a chance of being able to quickly sell on the property.
"As well as the people who steal the property, another issue for police is the people who keep hold of these items. The 'handlers' often keep quantities of property at their premises and will sell on at sporadic times, again for a fraction of their actual value.
"Police work very hard to try to identify these properties and these people in an attempt to recover the items and return them to their rightful owners."
DCI Curtis added: "I would also encourage people to please sign all your property up to Immobilise.com. This is a web-based property records system, endorsed and searchable by all UK Police Forces and registered secondhand dealers.
"Once property details are registered the public can update their records stating that items are lost or stolen. We can do all we can, but please help yourselves by taking a few simple measures.
"Anyone who may wish to report suspected criminal activity can do so by calling Humberside Police on 101 or by calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111."
