Increased Security for Vienna's Lost and Found Boxes
Theft and vandalism are to be prevented and the items deposited by honest citizens are to be better protected. "This is made possible by an improved design and a slightly adapted design: The first new lost and found boxes have already been set up, the exchange is ongoing and should be completed by the end of the year", says the responsible city councilor Jürgen Czernohorszky.
The red metal boxes are located near the municipal district offices, at the Vienna City Hall, at all Vienna waste disposal sites and in the vicinity of many police stations. They are all - with the exception of those at waste disposal sites - accessible around the clock and can be found on the online city map of the city of Vienna or in the 48er app.
The deposit flap for larger everyday items such as bags, keys or hats has been improved. To prevent items from being removed, the opening has been narrowed and the inner counter flap has been improved and the narrow deposit slot for IDs, credit cards etc. has been adapted. Lighter material on the deposit flap will make it easier to use in the future. The design continues to rely on the proven red, an optimized label with tips and tricks for better finding of one's lost "property" complements the new boxes.
There Are Many Honest Finders in Vienna
"In a city of millions, losing something and finding it again is often an impossibility. Therefore, it is nice to see that the Viennese use the unique lost and found service for a big city and hand in lost items. The staff at the Central Lost and Found Service of the 48ers do everything they can to locate the rightful owners. If this is not quickly possible, the found items are safely stored", says Climate City Councilor Jürgen Czernohorszky.
There are many honest finders in Vienna, who either use the lost and found boxes or hand in more valuable finds directly at the district office or lost and found service. Almost 125,000 found items thus found their way to the Central Lost and Found Service of the 48ers at Siebenbrunnenfeldgasse 3, 1050 Vienna in 2024. Of these, more than 57,000 found items (about 46 percent) were returned to their rightful owners. The top 5 of the handed in items are IDs and documents followed by wallets, mobile phones, keys and bags or suitcases. Curiosities are also always found anew such as DJ desks, a Lego Star Wars Star Destroyer, a bagpipe, a resuscitation doll for resuscitation exercises or paintings.
Tips for Frequently Lost Items
- Submit a free loss report on www.fundamt.gv.at and describe your lost item as well and as detailed as possible (brand, size, colour, serial number, peculiarities etc.).
- Take photos of valuable items.
- Mobile phones: Keep IMEI numbers/serial numbers of mobile phone and SIM card (found on the packaging).
- Keys: Write down the given numbers.
- IDs: Please be patient and do not immediately have them reissued, it sometimes takes a while for things to be found and handed in.
- Backpacks: Clearly label with names - especially for children's backpacks.
- In general, if something has been lost: The more clearly the items can be described and the more accurately the items have been marked, the greater the chance of getting them back.
(Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.