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

datostar

s2000 wrote: »

OH DEAR OH DEAR OH DEAR!!

It is just this sort of naïvety that makes the Europeans laugh at the British.

The reality of it is that if you went into an Italian police station and handed in something like this, the cops will firstly give you a blank stare of disbelief, then take the camera from you, have a chuckle with their colleagues after you leave the station and then one of them will keep the thing!

This is not racist by the way, I am ½ Italian and know the culture, and the perceptions of Europeans about the British.

Nor am I advocating theft, I should point out. But the British need to step back and get some self-awareness of their goody two-shoes mentality. The most sensible comment I have seen is to look through the pictures on the camera and try and spot the owners on the remainder of the holiday.

Most of you people would be eaten alive outside this nanny state!

If the Italian police are thieves, as you suggest, then that's their problem. Honesty is not a 'goody two-shoes mentality'. I'm reminded of the time my son and I found a wallet on a Portuguese cliff path. It contained quite a lot of money and a Dutch ID card, but no address. We decided to find a police station, but fortunately before getting back to our car we passed a couple sitting near the path and speaking Dutch. I asked the man if he was Dutch. He was somewhat curious but indicated that he was. He was even more mystified when I asked him his name, but did give it. Then I produced the wallet. Absolutely overjoyed. He hadn't even missed it. He would have had awful problems getting back home without that as Schengen countries can use them in lieu of a passport. Obviously if I'd been an Italian cop, say, or possessed the non-British self-awareness you recommend, I'd have just stuck it in my pocket and walked off with it.

jacksgrandma

I would definitely hand it in, or try to trace the owner. I realised when I got home from holiday this year that I had lost my camera. Fortunately it was found at our hotel and someone sensibly looked at the pictures and recognised my grandson and took it to the kids club. They mentioned to people we had become friendly with who brought it home and, via Facebook, contacted us and returned it. :T I was very relieved. :j It is surprising how upset one can become at the loss of just a few memories but it was fantastic to get the camera back. Many, many thanks to all the lovely people who are prepared to go that little bit further and for being honest. It restores one's faith in human nature.:A

Hunky_boy

No! I have been 'done' too many times myself whilst abroad. It's just tough luck!

ellymoo

A.Jones wrote: »

I wouldn't waste my time handing it in - it is unlikely to get back to its owner. The photos are obviously not that precious, otherwise the owner would have taken more care with the camera. Did they not even have a look around before leaving the beach to check they have everything, or make sure it is securely inside their bag before they left?

Have you never made a mistake?! The camera could have fallen out of the bag, or they could have had to leave the beach in a hurry for an emergency. It doesn't really matter - they've lost their camera whatever.

El_Stevo

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.

Couldn't they just have destroyed the memory card?

crandall

s2000 wrote: »

Nope, you're over-complicating it. Hand it in to an Italian cop and they'll have it for themselves. Sorry, it's not about being "perceived as euro savvy" – it's just the way it is.

You are missing the point S2000 - we all have our standards and conscience (apart from you apparently!) and I would not be happy to just keep the camera, regardless of what Italian police might do after I had handed it over. You have to trust them to carry out the correct procedure and enjoy your holiday without feeling guilty.

matchmade

Gavin83 wrote: »

I'd probably just leave it there. I really don't believe for a second that if I handed it in at a local police station in Italy it would get returned to it's owner. Then again I'd have no use for it so wouldn't take it for myself.

I think the best thing to do is leave it behind and hope the owner traces their steps.

I agree - leave it there. I would probably ask at the hotel as well, but in my experience of Europe, police stations will be miles away and it would be a real trek to get there, even if I spoke the language a little. Also, it might not occur to the person who lost it to even think of going to a police station: which station would they go to, how would they prove it was theirs? It would be far better to just leave the camera and hope they come back for it - after all, the first thing I'd do, if I lost a camera, would be to go back to the beach.

If the camera were still there after 3 days, I would regard it as permanently lost and keep it for myself or as a present for someone.

Alternatively if there were a tourist information centre nearby, I would take it there, and leave a sign on a stick or something on the beach. But I'm not going to trail miles round a city to do this - life's too short.

Finbar_Mcardle

i would definitely hand it in,i recently found a wallet with 1700 euros whilst on hols in majorca,although i was going home at the time i found a card with an e mail addy in the wallet and when i returned to the uk i contacted the owner in austria,who was delighted that i found it,i posted it to him next day,theres always a way if you really want to return it

yecartmannew

If i was abroad I would tell the people in the nearest bar/cafe/hotel etc or if there are people on the beach doing paracending etc that I had found a camera and which hotel I was staying at. That way if someone asks them if a camera has been found they could contact me at the hotel. This is not to assume foregners are any more dishonest than brits, just that I think it would be the best way to ensure the camera returned if the owners are looking for it.

If I was in the UK I would probably hand it in to the nearest police station, although if that was out of the way I would call them and do the same as above, leaving my name and phone number so the owner could contact me.

My daughter lost her phone on our local beach (weston super mare) a few years ago and I text the phone asking if it had been found to call me. Some days later I got a call from a chap in birmingham, he duly posted the phone back to me. I sent him a small cheque as a thank you.

Also I lost my purse last year, and someone handed it in at the local police station. Again I sent off a small cheque with a thank you note.

bfudge69

I'd be cheeky and have a look at some of the pictures. The time and date would tell me how long it has been there and a quick look around to see if anyone on the photos is nearby could give me a clue to the owner. Either that or I may recognise a hotel or bar etc where they go.