Jewelers’ Security Alliance has released its 2015 Annual Crime Report covering crime against the jewelry industry in the U.S. The total number of crimes against the industry decreased from 1,381 in 2014 to 1,177 in 2015, a decrease of 14.7%. Total dollar losses also decreased from $77.8 million in 2014 to $69.3 million in 2015, a decrease of 10.9%.
Other highlights from the Report include the following:
- Due to excellent work by the FBI and local law enforcement agencies, there were arrests of two major smash and grab robbery gangs in the first half of 2015. As a result of these arrests, there were half as many smash and grab robberies in the second half of 2015 (24) as in the first half of 2015 (48). For the full year 2015, smash and grab robberies numbered 72 compared to 110 in 2014.
- Due to excellent work by the FBI and local law enforcement agencies, there was an arrest of a major rooftop burglary gang. As a result of the arrest of this gang, the number of burglaries in which the criminals entered from the roof decreased from 36 in 2014 to 19 in 2015, a decrease of 47.2%.
- The number of jewelers killed in crimes against jewelry firms was two in 2015 compared to three in 2014, and the number of jewelers who were the victims of nonfatal shots declined from 15 in 2014 to 3 in 2015, an 80% decline.
- The long term decline in dollar losses from crimes against jewelry firms in the U.S. has amounted to a 63.2% decline since 1998 in 2015 inflation adjusted dollars, and a 22.5% decline in the last five years.
JSA President John Kennedy said, “While the diamond, jewelry and watch industry is still a dangerous business, nevertheless, the long term trend in jewelry crime is still firmly down. The significant decline that JSA has seen in crime is due to the greater sharing of crime information within the industry and with law enforcement, and from the terrific cooperation that the industry receives from the FBI and local law enforcement agencies.”
The full report is available on the JSA website by clicking here.
