The European Union policing agency Europol hosted its three-day first international conference on jewellery robbery and burglary, titled ‘Project Diamond’. SaferGems, a joint initiative established by the British Security Industry Association (BSIA), TH March the insurance brokers, and the trade body the National Association of Jewellers (NAJ), were invited to deliver a presentation, at Europol’s headquarters in The Hague.
Europol points to a returning trend in jewellery robbery and burglary. Criminals from South America, in particular, have been travelling to Europe to rob jewellery stores. Europol’s Head of Serious and Organised Crime, Michael Rauschenbach, highlighted: “Criminals are becoming more inventive, as well as using technology to their advantage to carry out the most daring robberies and burglaries, as we have seen in the case of the ‘Pink Panther thieves’.”
See also the Europol website, about ‘Project Diamond’. That was initially created as a follow-up to ‘Project Pink Panther’, which was initiated by Interpol in 2007, in an effort to help law enforcers apprehend members of an international network of jewellery thieves that had originated from the Balkans. Interpol’s project ended in 2016 and it was decided that ‘Project Diamond’ would be more extensive, targeting criminal networks involved in jewellery robberies and burglaries from Europe, as well as the Baltic Sea and Western Black Sea areas.
In attendance in mid-January were over 70 people from nearly all EU member states, as well as other representatives from third parties from Europe, Asia and the Americas, including private jewellery and watch companies. Intelligence Officer Lee Henderson represented SaferGems, which coordinates data on jewellery crime and aids information-sharing between jewellers, pawnbrokers and police. Lee, pictured, gave a presentation about the background of SaferGems, crime trends and statistics, the SaferGems Watch Register and the initiative’s successes. He said afterwards: “The presentation was very well received by the experts in attendance and raised many questions from the audience. We also received positive support and feedback from our colleagues that attended on behalf of Metropolitan and West Midlands Police.”
The project comes at a vital time, as the EU is facing increased trends in jewellery robbery and burglaries. It has been reported by Europol that these criminals are becoming more violent in their tactics, using heavy vehicles to get into jewellery stores and putting the lives of customers and staff at risk. The aim of the conference was to use the existing knowledge and expertise of the attendees to discuss the best ways to fight this rising crime.
Lee added: “Given the increased trends in jewellery robbery and burglaries, the conference came at a crucial time and provided SaferGems with an opportunity to share information and intelligence with police officers from NYPD, the Garda, Federal Police Belgium, Organised Crime Finland and Antwerp Diamond District.
“As a result of our participation in the Conference, law enforcement agencies from across the world are now more aware of the capabilities of the SaferGems initiative and the successes that it continues to have.”
Visit: https://www.safergems.org.uk/.
