Handling or receiving stolen goods is not a victimless crime and individuals or businesses who trade in these items can have a long-term impact on communities and residents.
Why do people trade in stolen goods?
Most burglars, street robbers and other prolific thieves steal to raise money and they therefore need to sell on what they steal. To get money, the ‘successful’ thief must complete two objectives without being caught: The first objective is to steal something valuable, the second objective is to sell or trade the stolen goods. Ultimately, the thief’s main aim is to acquire something else with the money gained from selling the stolen goods, such as drugs or alcohol. If they cannot sell the goods then they wouldn’t steal them!
Why does this impact on the community?
Criminals like to sell on stolen goods quickly, so thieves gravitate towards locations where they can. A shop or individual buying stolen property from a thief is known as a ‘fence’. A fence, or number of fences, working in an area will encourage thieves into the neighbourhood. This, in turn, can increase local crime and anti-social behaviour.
There are also links between the stolen goods market and the drugs market, many thieves and burglars have admitted stealing to fund a drug habit. Adding these two elements together can cause severe problems for a community.
What is being done about it?
There are many agencies across Leeds working to tackle the stolen goods markets and to address the underlying causes of these crimes.
- raising public awareness of the harm caused by buying stolen goods;
- engaging the business community about the risks and consequences of buying and selling stolen goods;
- carrying out enforcement activity, including search warrants against known and suspected handlers of stolen goods;
- encouraging the use of asset registration schemes.
How can I help?
Information to help us target our action and take the necessary steps to protect the public is vital.
- Do you know someone who might be handling stolen goods?
- Have you ever been offered items that you believe to have been stolen?
- Do you have information that could help us to tackle this problem in your community?
- If so contact your local Neighbourhood Policing Team or Crimestoppers ~ You can remain anonymous and officers can use the intelligence given. You may not see action straight away, but your concerns will be taken seriously.
Darker Nights, Don’t feel insecure this Xmas!
With the nights getting darker, burglaries tend to increase around this time of the year
Advice for householders to help guard against burglary:
- Leave a light on
- Leave a light on inside the house, choose well-used rooms such as the lounge or bedroom, not a hallway or other largely unused area. The intention is to create the impression that someone is in, a significant deterrent. Illuminate the areas of your home which are most likely to achieve this.
- Use a timer switch to turn on lights inside the house
Occupied houses will normally have more than one light on. Therefore, if possible, illuminate a second area that reinforces the impression that someone is in. At least one of the rooms, and preferably two, should be visible from the road. Timer switches are an excellent way of triggering one or more lights. As daylight hours grow shorter, reset the timer to activate earlier. In the middle of winter, a house with someone at home will often have lights on in the early afternoon and the timer needs to be set accordingly.
- Use lighting outside the house
- Fit low energy dusk to dawn lights. They are both cheap to install and cheap to run. They will lighten up any areas that would be burglars could use to hide, and they don't annoy your neighbours.
Other safety tips:
- Keep your door locked when you are at home and when you go out.
- Always keep car keys, and other valuables, out of sight and certainly away from windows and doors.
- Make sure your locks are of a good British Standard.
- If you have a burglar alarm, use it.
- Draw your curtains at night
If you see anyone acting suspiciously in your neighbourhood ring your local NPT or Crimestoppers