1. Whenever any property comes into his possession in the course of his duty, an officer has to record details of the property in his notebook and request the person from whom he has obtained the property to sign the entry to signify its correct description.

2. If the person refuses to sign, the officer should record this in his notebook, together with the reason for the refusal.

3. On returning to the station, the officer should comply with the provisions of PGO by entering the details of the property into CIS.

4. Property of all cases shall be, as soon as practicable, handed over to the Property Control Officer for storing in a secure place in the police station.

5. If the owner of case property asks for a receipt, this should be referred to the ADVC ADM or Inspectorate Officer responsible for property, no matter the request is made orally or in writing.

6. When property is seized from premises after a search, the officer-in-charge will ensure that the owner or occupier or the person acting on his behalf acknowledges the seizure by signing an itemised list of the property, written in a police notebook.

7. In the event that it is not possible for the seizure to be verified by the owner or occupier or an appropriate person, the officer-in-charge will endorse the record of seizure accordingly.

8. When property is seized in a vacant housing unit during death enquiries in a public housing estate, the OC Case should seek assistance from the management office of the estate to acknowledge seizure of property.

9. Case exhibits, including cash, should be disposed of as soon as the six-week period after the court order has elapsed.

(This column is contributed by the Complaints and Internal Investigations Branch)