Heads up: Do your part to help fight jewellery crime

by charlene_voisin | May 1, 2013 9:00 am

By David J. Sexton

bigstock-Burglar-In-Mask-24156407[1]
Even when you follow all security precautions at your business, you can become a victim of a jewellery crime. If that happens, sharing your information with other jewellers and law enforcement is the best way to fight crime and help keep you safe. Communication can be your most effective tool, as it may help prevent future crimes at other jewellery businesses and get criminals off the streets.

By reporting crime information and details about the perpetrators, you can help law enforcement in their efforts to identify and apprehend criminals.ӬIn addition, jewellers working closely with police helps educate the branches of law enforcement about specific crime challenges in the Canadian jewellery industry.

When law enforcement is aware a crime has been commited, they can connect the dots between organized criminal activities that might otherwise appear unrelated. Making these connections is critically important, as organized crime doesn’t usually go away on its own.

When a crime occurs at your jewellery business, do the following steps as soon as possible:

Why jewellers should report crime

Reporting jewellery crime can help prevent future occurrences and provide law enforcement with information regarding emerging criminal activity.[3]
Reporting jewellery crime can help prevent future occurrences and provide law enforcement with information regarding emerging criminal activity.

Even though reporting crime has multiple benefits for the jewellery industry, some jewellers don’t want to advertise a crime when it happens at their businesses. Why? They may not be properly insured, they may consider this their personal business and want to keep it confidential, or they may not understand to whom to report the loss. Whatever the reasons, many jewellers fail to report crime and don’t share their loss information with other jewellers.

One question I am often asked is, “How bad is crime against Canadian jewellers?” Unfortunately, my answer is we may never know because so many jewellery crimes go unreported.

By reporting a crime to police and sharing the information with JVC, you will help jewellers stay informed about criminal activity, which increases their awareness level and preparation tactics. Sharing crime information helps the jewellery community become aware of emerging criminal activity and understand how criminals are targeting other businesses, so they can take necessary precautions.

When jewellers report a crime to JVC, the organization sends out alert bulletins to its members with the details of the crime, along with photos that help identify the suspect. The bulletins also provide tips to help jewellers prevent this type of loss.

“Information is power,” says Phyllis Richard, executive director of JVC. “When you have the information, you have a better chance of deterring crime and knowing what to do if it happens to you.”

While discretion should be used when publishing loss information, the value of sharing it may help other jewellers avoid a similar situation and may assist law enforcement in their efforts to identify and apprehend the criminals.

David J. Sexton, CPCU, is vice-president of loss prevention at Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company in the United States. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Sexton serves on the Underwriters’ Laboratories’ (UL) Security Systems Council, where he is a corporate member of the insurance category. He also sits on the board of directors for Jewellers Vigilance Canada (JVC), and worked on the Central Station Alarm Association’s (CSAA’s) Insurance Liaison Committee that assisted in the development of the UL burglar alarm modular certificate program and revised UL standard. Comments and questions can be sent to lossprevention@jminsure.com[4].

Endnotes:
  1. [Image]: http://www.jewellerybusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/bigstock-Burglar-In-Mask-24156407.jpg
  2. info@jewellersvigilance.ca: mailto:info@jewellersvigilance.ca
  3. [Image]: http://www.jewellerybusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/bigstock-Cell-Phone-Emergency-2386852.jpg
  4. lossprevention@jminsure.com: mailto:lossprevention@jminsure.com

Source URL: https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/features/heads-up-do-your-part-to-help-fight-jewellery-crime/