Jewellers and pawnbrokers are running the risk of prosecution by failing to properly check second-hand items. That is according to members of the British Security Industry Association’s (BSIA) Asset and Property Marking Section. They’ve published a guide, ‘Spotting Stolen Goods: A Guide for Jewellers and Pawnbrokers’ .
Watches, laptops, mobile phones and jewellery are among the most common items to be offered for sale, but smaller items such as these are also more likely to have been obtained through pickpocketing or burglary. The trade group warns that by accepting these items without question, jewellers and pawnbrokers can run the risk of being charged with handling stolen goods, especially if they have not taken the proper precautions, such as asking sellers for ID. Jewellers and pawnbrokers can take steps to protect themselves from these risks, and ensure the items that they’re buying are legitimate, says Geoff Knupfer, chairman of the British Security Industry Association’s Asset and Property Marking Section. He says: “The concept of marking valuable property to aid the identification and recovery of stolen goods has developed from its origins as a deterrent to domestic burglary to become a sophisticated crime reduction tool employed by major companies and organisations.
“Forensic property marking represents a ‘quick win’ in terms of tracing and recovering stolen property, and as such, the first thing shopkeepers can look for is any trace of a forensic property marking solution, which they can do by using basic ultraviolet (UV) equipment.”
The Asset and Property Marking Section of the BSIA, the private security industry trade body has compiled a guide to assist jewellers and pawnbrokers to identify stolen goods and react accordingly, highlighting UV equipment for detecting property marking.
Spotting Stolen Goods: A Guide for Jewellers and Pawnbrokers seeks to help businesses avoid the pitfalls of buying second-hand goods and includes advice on identifying stolen property, sourcing and using UV equipment, and what to do if their suspicion is aroused. Advice from the British Jewellers’ Association and SaferGems is also included.
Spotting Stolen Goods: A Guide for Jewellers and Pawnbrokers can be downloaded from the BSIA’s website: www.bsia.co.uk/web_images/publications/176-apm-jewellery-theft.pdf
For more about the BSIA’s Asset and Property Marking Section, visit www.bsia.co.uk/asset-and-property-marking
