Money Moral Dilemma. Would you hand in a camera you found on a beach?

tryfive

BigBananaFeet wrote: »

I found a digital camera in Falkirk, Scotland and handed it into the police station. I got a leaflet saying after a period of time, if no-one claimed it, I could get it. I contacted the police after the time period, only to be told that they don't give digital cameras back to finders in case there are any inappropriate pictures on the hard disk of the camera. Their policy is to destroy the camera! I wish I'd known - I would rather have tried to trace the owner myself. I will never hand another camera into the police.

I think you'll find the reality is a bit more along the lines of "we keep all digital cameras for ourselves. It's not like you'll be doing anything about it is it, will you matey?!"

Clearly the reply you got wasn't true - it's trivial to check what's stored on a camera, including anything which has been previously deleted.

If there was any real concern about it, they'd be taking the time to check - in which case there would be no problem with giving it back to you.

The irony is the posts on this thread is that a number suggest that foreign police would just keep it for themselves, while those in the UK would be scrupulously honest...

s2000

TaBunny wrote: »

These dilema's are getting more and more about people's honesty. Anyone who is honest would hand it in to the local police with a note of where and when found anyone else is a stealing by finding.

How would leaving it where it is be stealing by finding, muppet?

How is personally tracking down the owner and returning it to them stealing?

s2000

Gavin83 wrote: »

I don't know the serial number for anything I own, does anyone?

I think ConsumerWarrior's point is that people should keep a record of serial numbers in case of loss or theft (that is not to say that I do, which I may well regret if I ever lose something or am burgled).

*Louise*

I would definitely make the effort of handing it in.

When my husband and I were on honeymoon in Austria earlier this year, I lost my £100 camera with all our holiday pics on it. Luckily when I retraced my steps another tourist had found it and had stayed in the same place looking out for someone who had lost something

I was so relieved and grateful. It wouldn't even cross my mind not to hand in someone else's property.

wendy_c

Having recently lost a camera not on a beach but at a historical site in Corfu I can say that I would never keep one I found. I would hand it in somewhere or try and check the person or location of where the owner might have stayed. I loved the camera but was really upset about losing my lovely pictures. Ironically in Greece we have often recovered things and I am sure I could have got my camera back if only I could have got back to where I left it. Unfortunately this wasn't possible. The pictures have no monetary value yet are priceless.

starbump

I would also vote for the hotel option. No point making it too difficult for yourself in a foreign country. The nearest hotel (if not your own hotel) will have multilingual staff and will know what to do with lost property.

saveralot

Had a flash in the middle of the night how to solve this because it must happen a lot. I'm going to set up a group on Flickr called "Found Photos" just for this sort of thing. Then anyone who finds photos (loose memory cards get lots too) can post them and the person who owns them can post pictures proving who they are. Its not the lost of the camera so much as the pictures that I would be upset by if it happened to me.

saveralot

I've now set up this group!!

diversrock

SouWestsaver wrote: »

I would hand the camera to the Hotel reception,Police Station or Town Hall/Civic Building and leave my name and address so if it was not claimed perhaps they would send it on to me!!

That's what I would do. I once found a jacket in my town and took it to the police. Two months later I got a phone call saying the jacket is mine for the taking. It was worth maybe £70 too! I use it all the time now.

Senjo

A few years ago I found a wallet on a beach in Tenerife. Inside were credit cards and cash. I took it to the local police but they didn't really want to know and showed my a cupboard full of wallets that had been handed in but never retrieved. I was going home the next day anyway so told them I'd take it with me and contact the owner (luckily his business card was in the wallet). So I contacted his office when I got home but he was still in Tenerife. I explained what had happened so they could call him and reassure him then posted them the wallet by special delivery. He was a solicitor so I was pretty sure no-one at his office would nick it. Later he sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers and of course refunded my expenses. I would never have dreamt of keeping the money as you should treat others like you would like to be treated yourself, but other people who I've told the story to said they'd have kept the money. Well I just hope they never lose anything and have someone keep it.