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Jewelry Crime Drops as Security Improves
Aug 9, 2016 9:50 AM
By Rapaport News
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RAPAPORT... Losses from crime against the diamond, jewelry and watch industry decreased 7.2
percent to $30.8 million in the first half of the year, according to
the Jewelers’ Security Alliance (JSA). The number of crimes also fell, down from 562 to 528.
“While violence and large losses still pose a major
threat to the industry, the long-time trend of overall losses is still heading
down,” said John Kennedy, president of the JSA. “Improved security measures by
jewelers, greater sharing of information on crimes and suspects, and excellent
work by the FBI, ATF, and local law enforcement agencies around the country
have all contributed to improved results.”
During the six-month
period, there were 30 smash-and-grab robberies and more than 40 gunpoint
robberies, which accounted for most of the large losses, the organization said.
Violence in these cases included shootings, pistol whippings and the use of
pepper spray. There were 10 cases, an unusually large number, according to the
JSA, in which burglars used vehicles to enter retail jewelry stores, and 20
cases of burglars breaking in from the roof, side walls or an adjoining
business rather than through a window or a door.
Other crimes
included 187 grab-and-runs, 49 distraction thefts and 36 “sneak” thefts.
The JSA found that thieves
used credit cards and counterfeit drivers’ licenses to carry out numerous
fraudulent transactions, especially when targeting high-end watches.
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Tags:
crime, fraud, jewelers, Jewelers’ Security Alliance, Jewelry, jewelry crime, John Kennedy, JSA, Rapaport News, retail, Robberies, theft, violence
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