Jewelers’ Security Alliance has released its 2016 Annual Crime Report covering crime against the jewelry industry in the United States. The total number of crimes against the industry increases from 1,177 in 2015 to 1,245 in 2016, an increase of 5.8 percent. Total dollar losses also increased from $69.3 million in 2015 to $72.4 million in 2016, an increase of 4.5 percent. John Kennedy, president of JSA, said that this was the first yearly crime increase against US jewelers since 2012.
Other highlights from the report include the following:
Reports of grab and run thefts increased from 301 in 2015 to 420 in 2016, a 40 percent increase. The average grab-and-run loss in 2016 was $7,664.
Off-premises crimes, including traveling salesperson losses, fell to a total of 48 in 2016, the second lowest total since the 1980s.
There were six homicides of jewelers in 2016, including a rare triple homicide in Jackson, MS.
Kennedy said, “While JSA is keeping a close eye on the relatively small uptick in crime, the longer term crime trends against the industry are still sharply down. Even a few very active gangs can cause small fluctuations in crime from year to year. However, the great job being done by the FBI, police and loss prevention personnel, and the tremendous cooperation and sharing of crime information by all, has the industry on the right path for resumed crime reduction.”
The full report is available on the JSA website.