missing personal items from work - whose fault?

[whiskersonkittens]

I am looking for an independent view please - some personal items disappeared from my desk at work and have not been found. My line manager and HR are basically saying that I left them there at my own risk and there is nothing more they can do. Is that true or am I right in thinking they should be safe if at work?

own risk
DH's bike lights got half-inched at work.
wouldn't be funny but he works at a police station.
if it's not nailed down, it's not safe.

Were they locked in the desk ? Sorry but think you leave stuff anywhere at your own risk unless it is under secure lock and key.

If you leave personal items lying around on your desk it is really at your own risk I'd say. If items are stolen in the workplace(working on the assumption that your items were stolen) it's a serious thing, obviously. Clearly if items are left out on desks they are not 'fair game' and it's not acceptable for the person in question to have stolen them. But on the other hand you would be expected to take reasonable precautions against that by either keeping personal items with you or locking them in a desk drawer, and similarly it would not be your employer's responsibility to keep your items safe.

What are you asking your line manager and HR to do?

Thanks - guess I am being a little unreasonable.

They were pictures and photos stuck up on the 'partition' so unlikley to have been stolen as of no apparant value to anyone else. I was expecting work to find them on the basis that someone had moved them as a 'joke' (in very poor taste!)

Pity as I like personalising my desk and the place is bad enough to work in without it being completly souless as well

Based on what the items were - ie nothing of any value - I change my opinion slightly. I think it's perfectly reasonable of you not to feel you need to lock away photos you've stuck up on the partition. 'Reasonable precautions' would involve obviously locking away anything of any value.

On the other hand I don't think that means your employer is at fault at all - it's the fault of the person who took them. As they are of no value to anyone else and you think it's some sort of 'joke', I would imagine the chances are they'll turn up.