Ipswich: False teeth, knuckle-duster and gun among lost property handed in at town police station

Firework

They were all among the items handed in at Ipswich police station and classed as lost property last year.

A Freedom of Information request by The Star to Suffolk Police revealed 1,389 items were handed into officers between March 2012 and March 1 this year.

Of those, 567 items were returned to their owners.

The list includes items most of us will have lost in our lifetimes – 47 keys, 34 bank cards, 187 mobile phones and 59 driving licences.

Reassuringly, members of the public also handed in 271 purses or wallets.

However, some of the items handed to police are a cause for concern.

One hand gun, four pistols, a gun in a holster with 20 bullets, two revolvers, two rifles and three shotguns were found and passed to police. Perhaps not surprisingly, none of the weapons were claimed by their owners.

Aside from the haul of found firearms, police also received 14 knives and a knuckle-duster.

Under the sports equipment section was archery and crossbow equipment as well as a surfboard, golf equipment and fishing tackle.

And among the more weird and wonderful items of lost property were a bird, set of false teeth, cutlery, bedding and a firework.

A Suffolk police spokesman said: “This gives people an idea of the array of different items that can get brought into not just Ipswich police station, but police stations across the county.

“When an item is handed in the owner has 28 days to claim it and if possible we will try to identify the owner and make contact with them.

“Residents can help us do this by security marking valuable items with a postcode and house number.”

What is the strangest thing you have lost or had handed in as lost property? Write to Your Letters, Ipswich Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or you can email starletters@archant.co.uk