Theft of Lost Properties Accounts for 1/3 of All MRT Police Crimes 順手牽羊.侵佔遺失物品 佔北捷刑案34.1%

Keeping someone else's possession you find on the MRT is a criminal offense, warns the Taipei Metro, as the theft of lost items has become the most common offense in the MRT station, followed by sexual harassment and bodily harm. The crime is punishable by up to NT$15,000 in fines.

A passenger pulled her luggage while exiting the train, without realizing she had left a bag under the seat. Someone nearby later picked it up and kept it to himself. A woman in black is also filmed while taking a purse that was left on a station bench. Statistics show that these people are not isolated incidents; that's why forgetful passengers aren't always lucky enough to get their lost items back.

Citizen:” I left my purse on the MRT train once. I didn't realize it until 10-plus stops later, so I didn't know which stop I left it at.”

Citizen:” I haven't heard of this happening, but I've seen it happen with someone's umbrella.”

When commuters lose something on the MRT, they often ask station staff for help or visit the MRT lost and found. According to Taipei's rapid transit police, however, many people keep, rather than turn in, the property they find. This offense tops the rapid transit police's crime ranking. 

Keeping lost property can qualify as misappropriation, which is a criminal case and punishable by a fine of up to NT$15,000.

Yeh Chin-chou, Crime Prevention Sec. Head, Rapid Transit Div., Taipei City Police Dept.:” Apart from keeping lost the property, there's sexual harassment, offenses against privacy, theft, and bodily harm. These are the top five offenses we see.” 

There were 285 cases of lost property theft in the last three years, accounting for 34.1 percent of rapid transit police cases. Also making the top five were sexual harassment with over 100 cases, bodily harm with 96 cases, and other offenses against privacy and theft.

捷運到站，提著大小包行李下車，但座位下的背包，忘記帶走，坐在一旁的乘客，眼見沒人注意，默默拿起來，佔為己有；還有黑衣女子，四處張望，順勢拿起車站石椅上的錢包，據為己有，乘客搭乘接運，難免遺失物品，卻不是每次都能找回來。

民眾1：「忘掉皮包因為已經，就等於說我坐了10幾站才發現，那是不是就不知道在哪一站掉了。」

民眾2：「沒聽過但是看過，看過(掉)雨傘而已。」

失主遺失物品，會請站務人員協助，或找上捷運遺失物中心，不過，根據台北捷運警察隊統計，民眾一時貪念、順手牽羊，侵占遺失物，是捷運近3年來，最大宗的刑案案件，而侵占遺失物，更已經涉嫌觸犯刑法侵占罪，最高可處1萬5000元罰金。

捷警隊刑事組組長 葉錦洲：「除了侵占之外還有性騷擾，還有妨害秘密、竊盜、傷害、違法。這個是大概最常發生的5大案類。」

侵佔遺失物，發生最多，高達285件，佔了全部刑案的34.1％；此外，高居刑案發生率的前五大類的，還有超過百件的性騷擾、傷害案有96件、以及妨害秘密、竊盜等違法作為，而捷警呼籲，不要心存僥倖犯案，以免觸法。