# The Police Act 1997 (Provisions in relation to the NCIS Service Authority) Order 1998, Article K13: Lost and uncollected property


(1) This article has effect where—
(a) property comes into the possession of the Authority after being found on buildings or premises owned or managed by it; or
(b) property which has been deposited with the Authority is not collected from it in accordance with the terms under which it was deposited.
(2) Where—
(a) property is found on any building or premises owned or managed by the Authority;
(b) it is subsequently handed over to the Authority,
any right of possession of the property which was vested in a person by virtue of its having been found is extinguished.
(3) If—
(a) the Authority gives the owner or, as the case may be, the depositor of the property notice in writing—
(i) that it requires him to collect the property by a date specified in the notice; and
(ii) that if he does not do so the property will vest in the Authority on that date; and
(b) if he fails to comply with the notice,
the property shall vest in the Authority on the specified date.
(4) The date to be specified in a notice under paragraph (3) above shall be not less than one month from the date of the notice.
(5) Where it appears to the Authority, on the date when property comes into its possession as mentioned in sub-paragraph (a) of paragraph (1) above, that it is impossible to serve a notice under paragraph (3) above, the property shall vest in the Authority one month from that date.
(6) Where the Authority is satisfied after reasonable inquiry that it is impossible to serve a notice under paragraph (3) above in relation to any property it shall vest in it six months from the relevant date.
(7) Where—
(a) any property is of a perishable nature; or
(b) to look after it adequately would involve the Authority in unreasonable expense or inconvenience,
the Authority may sell or otherwise dispose of it at such time and in such manner as it thinks fit.
(8) Where property is sold or otherwise disposed of under paragraph (7) above—
(a) any person to whom the property is transferred shall have a good title to it; and
(b) any proceeds of sale shall vest in the Authority on the day when the property would have vested in it under this article if it had not been sold.
(9) Where any property which came into the possession of the Authority as mentioned in paragraph (1)(a) above vests in the Authority under this article, the Authority may give the whole or any part of the property to the person through whom it came into its possession.
(10) Where the proceeds of sale of property which came into the possession of the Authority as mentioned in paragraph (1)(a) above vest in the Authority under this article, the Authority may make a payment not exceeding the value of the property to the person through whom it came into its possession.
(11) Where property is claimed by its owner or depositor before it vests in the Authority under this article, he may collect it on payment to the Authority of any sum which it requires him to pay in respect of costs incurred by it—
(a) in making inquiries for the purposes of this article or serving any notice under paragraph (3) above; and
(b) in looking after the property adequately.
(12) In this article “the relevant date” means—
(a) in relation to property which came into the possession of the Authority as mentioned in paragraph (1)(a) above, the date when it came into its possession; and
(b) in relation to uncollected property,—
(i) the date when the Authority accepted custody of it; or
(ii) the date when the period for which it was deposited with it expired, whichever is the later.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/633/article/K13 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/police-act-1997-provisions-in-relation-to-the-ncis-service-authority-order-1998/article-K13
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.