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RAPAPORT... The Jewelers’ Security Alliance (JSA) reported that dollar losses from crime that impacted the industry rose 10.5 percent year on year to $66.5 million in 2013. JSA determined that there were a number of more multi-million dollar losses during the period compared with 2012. However, the total number of crimes fell 8.1 percent to 1,414. Unfortunately, there were six homicides of jewelers in the U.S. this past year compared with two in 2012. John Kennedy, the president of JSA, said, “A relatively few large losses masked the continued great progress that the FBI and local law enforcement has made in helping to reduce jewelry crime in the U.S. Last year saw the arrest of 422 criminals who attacked the jewelry industry, including smash and grab robbery gangs, home invasion gangs, murderers and other violent criminals. The increased sharing of crime information by the diamond, jewelry and watch industry has played an important role in this progress.” JSA counted 40 off-premise losses during the year, which was the lowest number in at least 30 years, and down from 68 in 2012. Before substantial efforts to thwart criminal activity in the trade, JSA noted that there were 323 off-premise losses in 1999. The number of burglaries in which criminals entered through the roof increased from 18 in 2012 to 34 in 2013 and rooftop burglaries increased from only 5 percent of the total to 11 percent this past year. Kennedy said that the long term trends demonstrate great progress in the U.S. “Jewelers have become more knowledgeable and informed on security each year, but the need for constant vigilance by industry personnel will never go away,” he added. Download the full report, courtesy of JSA, here.
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