Council seeks to regulate second hand trade

TOWN Hall chiefs at Warrington are studying proposals to regulate the purchase and sale of goods through pawnbrokers and second hand shops in the town.
The aim is to prevent the sale of stolen goods and provide a deterrent to criminal activity across the borough.
Warrington Community Safety Partnership believes the initiative could help reduce acquisitive crime because many criminals are encouraged to commit offences by the availability of unregulated local outlets for the disposal of stolen property.
Crime – including acquisitive crime – has fallen consistently over the last 15 years. But in Warrington, although acquisitive crime fell over a period of years, it has now “plateaued” and in some parts of the borough is increasing again.
Areas where domestic burglaries have increased include Appleton, Burtonwood, Fairfield, Grappenhall, Great Sankey, Latchford, Orford, Rixton and the town centre.
Burglaries of non-domestic properties have increased in Hatton, Latchford, Grappenhall, Penketh, Poulton South, Stockton Heath, the town centre, Westbrook and Whittle Hall.
Acquisitive crime involving thefts from motor vehicles has increased across the borough, except in the following areas: Appleton, Birchwood, Culcheth, Grappenhall, Great Sankey South, Hatton, Latchford West, Stockton Heath, Westbrook and Whittle Hall.
Warrington town centre currently has nine pawnbroker or second hand goods shops and an assessment is underway to identify premises outside the town centre. Some of independent and some part of a national chain.
There is no requirement to regulate the premises or identify individual transactions within the premises
On many occasions, in certain premises, staff have been obstructive in not allowing police to have immediate access to goods and records which has prevented effective criminal investigations being undertaken.
This has impeded investigations by the police and made the disposal of stolen property easier to achieve for criminals.
In one case, a store was asked to retain property for a number of days while police made investigations as they were not willing to hand over the property. In fact, it was sold on to an untraceable customer, ending a line of enquiry into a burglary.
Another case involved an article valued at £180 being stolen from a music store in the town centre and then being sold for £22 in a second hand goods shop within 30 minutes of the theft.
The Community Safety Partnership believes a regulatory system in which second hand shops were licensed and required to keep records and obtain proof of identity of people selling goods would help disrupt the stolen goods market in the borough.