The latest return occurred in recent days, when the Lost Property Office of the Bergamo Local Police was able to track down the owners of two Great Danes, lost in the Upper Town last April 25, and return the dogs to them. But in recent years the office has been busy. Between 2014 and 2024, a total of 11,115 objects were found and processed, which required a great deal of cataloguing, search for owners and storage of unclaimed items in the warehouse.
From January to April, 419 discovery cases were opened, of which 218 were closed with the return of the objects. Among these findings there were 7 stolen cars and motorcycles, 8 bicycles, 2 electric scooters, 80 wallets, 308 personal documents, 134 credit or debit cards and 1313.20 euros in cash. Among the most refunds
significant ones of 2024 include personal computers, Tablet,
suitcases, bags with work documents, cell phones, hearing aids, wedding rings
wedding cards, glasses, SIM cards, garden tools, power banks, savings bonds
of the Treasury and even a will. As for the pets, they were returned dogs, cats and ferrets, while a domestic rooster and a land turtle have found a new home. Furthermore, the office contributed to the recovery of 6 fallow deer that escaped from a private property in the municipality of Orio al Serio. The latest discovery, which occurred on April 25th, made it possible to return two Great Danes recovered in the Upper Town.
Since 2014, agent Elena Tedesco has been in charge of the service, having managed a large number of cases of found objects and recovered stolen vehicles in the municipal area. Over the years, due to the increase in tourist flows in the city of Bergamo, favored by the growth of the Orio al Serio airport, cases of documents and objects belonging to foreign people have increased, which have been traced and the objects delivered – via express courier (expenses paid by the person to whom the goods are returned) – in their countries of origin, both inside and outside the European Union.
In 2017, a “social turning point” occurred with the creation of the Facebook page “Objects Found by the Local Police of Bergamo”. The page has achieved high popularity, with over 10,000 followersand facilitated direct contact between citizens and the Command regarding lost objects, responding to private messages 7 days a week. The use of social networks, in
particular Facebook, combined with traditional contact methods such as
written notices, phone calls and messages, has become a usual means for a
quick contact, especially through tagging in comments that directs the conversation to Messenger’s private messaging. Many refunds in recent years have occurred thanks to virtual contact on social networks between the office and the user.
Most of the objects found were reported by the agents or delivered directly by citizens to the Command. The office cooperated and
actively collaborates with other law enforcement agencies present in the city, such as the
State Police and Carabinieri, as well as other local police commands
external bodies as well as with other entities such as ATB Mobilità and the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital which have on several occasions handed over unclaimed objects and documents to the Office at their facilities.
