 |
answer text |
<p>The Government recognises the significant impact invasive crimes such as theft
can have on individuals and the wider community. The Crime Survey for England and
Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 51% compared to findings from the year ending
March 2010.</p><p>The Home Office established the Stolen Goods Working Group in January
2021, collaborating with policing and academic leads to deliver a programme of work
that will make it harder for criminals to profit financially from acquisitive crime.</p><p>Through
this group the Government are working closely with a group of expert policing and
academic partners who are taking forward work across a number of themes. These include
actions to identify where and how stolen goods are commonly sold; examining ways to
ensure property is marked, identifiable and traceable; exploring ways to share best
practice between forces; and examining what more can be done to tackle the disposal
markets for stolen goods and reduce the profit from acquisitive crime.</p><p>There
are a number of police-led schemes to prevent the sale of stolen goods, including
We Don’t Buy Crime and the Safe Seller scheme. Under these schemes, sellers of second-hand
goods commit to undertake checks before buying and offering goods for sale.</p><p>Owners
are encouraged to mark and register property, this helps to prove ownership of an
item and return it to the rightful owner if stolen property is recovered. There are
a number of commercially run property marking databases where members of the public
can register their items. Some of these specialise in certain types of items such
as bicycles or antiques. Police Crime Prevention Initiatives have developed practical
crime prevention advice to better understand how to better safeguard property. Information
can be found here <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.securedbydesign.com%2Fguidance%2Fcrime-prevention-advice%2Ffuel-theft&data=05%7C01%7CKhadijah.Ishaq%40homeoffice.gov.uk%7C1ccecdb003ac4b99f13408da6a427512%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C637939130897619209%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2BqgfgLKEGePnSUjzp%2FeDG2qQYQZuC8UVy%2FYxYl4SW%2BM%3D&reserved=0"
target="_blank">https://www.securedbydesign.com/guidance/crime-prevention-advice/fuel-theft</a>.</p><p>The
Criminal Justice Bill, currently making its passage through Parliament, includes a
new power for the police to enter premises to search for and seize specific stolen
items. This power will allow swift seizure of stolen property and better gathering
of evidence to support investigation and arrest, which police indicate is crucial
for acquisitive crime offences.</p><p>Online sale sites have policies in place to
prevent the sale of illegal items and items that encourage illegal activity, along
with guidance for the public on how to avoid purchasing stolen goods. The Online Safety
Act 2023 will place a new responsibility on tech companies to prevent users encountering
illegal content, which includes advertisements for stolen goods.</p><p>There are currently
no plans to introduce a database of stolen goods which can be updated by law enforcement
or bring forward legislative proposals to strengthen the checks auction houses must
carry out to prevent the sale of stolen goods.</p><p> </p>
|
|
