SECONDHAND shops are being encouraged to sign up to West Mercia Police’s We Don’t Buy Crime and help crackdown on thieves.
As part of the work officers are working with secondhand shops to help prevent the sale of stolen goods.
The initiative helps retailers identify whether an item they are offered for sale has been stolen and sees them provided with a UV torch that will highlight whether the item has been marked with a property marking product, such as SmartWater.
If the property has been marked and registered police will be able to establish who it belongs to. If the details don’t match those of the person offering it for sale, there is a possibility it is stolen property.
Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion, who has allocated funding to the We Don’t Buy Crime initiative, said: “The work being carried out by the We Don’t Buy Crime team is invaluable.
“I am pleased that second hand shops, that can often be targeted by thieves as a way to pass on their stolen goods, will benefit from signing up to this initiative.
“By working closely with these businesses, and giving them the tools and support they need to identify stolen items, we are able to start closing in on these criminals by preventing them from passing anything on for profit.”
