1. Copyright Dr Mike Sutton 20091 Who Buys Stolen Goods? Findings from the 1994 BCS, 2002/03 BCS and 2003 Offending Crime and Justice Survey Dr Mike Sutton, Reader in Criminology, Nottingham Trent University

2. Copyright Dr Mike Sutton 20092 Any Comparisons Between 1994 BCS and 2002/3 to be Treated With Caution CAPI was first used in 1994 BCS but since then PCs less revered and have been famously known to go astray – even when in possession of civil servants 1994 BCS asked only about buying SG in past 5 years and being offered in last 12 months New BCS questions asked whether offered SG in last five years and buying in past 12 months.

3. Copyright Dr Mike Sutton 20093 Being Offered Stolen Goods 1994 BCS - 11 percent offered SGs in past year 2002/3 BCS – 11 percent offered SGs in past year and 21 percent in past five years. 2003 OCJS did not ask about offers of SG

4. Copyright Dr Mike Sutton 20094 Buying Stolen Goods 1994 BCS – 11 Percent bought in past 5 years 2003/4 BCS - (Only asked those who were offered stolen goods) – 5 percent bought in past five years 2003 OCJS – 7 percent bought SG in past 12 months

5. Copyright Dr Mike Sutton 20095 Relationship Between Being Offered and Buying Stolen Goods 1994 BCS – of those who received an offer in the past year: 44 percent bought SG 2003 BCS – of those who received an offer in the past 5 years: 25 percent bought SG (Equals 5 % of total pop of England and Wales)

6. Copyright Dr Mike Sutton 20096 Six S.G. Markets Typology 1.Commercial Fence Supplies. 2.Commercial Sales. 3.Commercially Facilitated Sales 4.Residential Fence Supplies. 5.Network Sales. 6.Hawking.

7. Copyright Dr Mike Sutton 20097 Complementary Qualitative Research These six market types were formulated on the basis of qualitative research with prolific offenders and the latest literature on stolen goods disposal methods.

8. Copyright Dr Mike Sutton 20098 Which Market is Most Important? To date writing in this area suggests that no one of these six market types is more serious or important than another in terms of the role it plays in promoting theft

9. Copyright Dr Mike Sutton 20099 The Stolen Goods Market in New South Wales By Stephenson and Forsythe Interviewed in Australia 267 imprisoned burglars in 1997 They developed a ten-fold classification of SG Markets in an attempt to create a classification system that would be more useful for police and to identify the markets most frequently used by thieves. And also, no doubt, the ten-fold classification is one that the authors felt more conveniently suited their aims to quantify via questionnaire which markets thieves used most frequently. Respondents were asked specifically if they had used each of the ten market types for the goods they had stolen during a period when they were free prior to their current prison term.

10. Copyright Dr Mike Sutton 200910 The New South Wales SG Markets Typology 1.Drug Dealers 2.Family friends and acquaintances 3.Fences 4.Legitimate businesses 5.Pawn and Secondhand shops 6.Strangers 7.Markets 8.Others

11. Copyright Dr Mike Sutton 200911 The MRA 6 Markets Typology Was arrived at by in-depth qualitative research of the dynamics of selling stolen goods through interviews with both thieves and fences (Sutton 2008). To aid the design of evidence led crime reduction initiatives the MRA is concerned with the dynamics of selling stolen goods at every stage where stolen goods are sold: – By thief to dealer – Thief to wider public – Dealer to dealer – Dealer to wider public. In effect, the MRA six markets classification enables us to better understand the dynamics and motivations of those stealing and selling stolen goods and how theft and such dealing might best be reduced, interrupted and where arrests might be made: Who does what to/with whom, where, when, why, in which ways and with what effects?

12. Copyright Dr Mike Sutton 200912 National Frequency Data on Stolen Goods Markets Needed 1.The market types used by those who admitted stealing. 2.The market types in which people are making and receiving offers. 3.The market types in which people are buying stolen goods. 4.The market types facilitated by legitimate businesses – (Crimemongers)

13. Copyright Dr Mike Sutton 200913 The Way Forward with National Crime Surveys in This Field To inform policy making, targeted policing and the design of Market Reduction Approach initiatives we need quantitative data to assess which of the six markets are playing particularly major roles in facilitating theft.

14. Copyright Dr Mike Sutton 200914 OFFERS The BCS revealed the important association between offers of stolen goods and illicit buying behaviour. What we need now is (1) more in-depth qualitative information on the dynamics of offers and (2) from national crime surveys of the general public, dealers and thieves, we require more information on how offers are made and rejected and received – in order to seek to measure prevalence and, more importantly, incidence of offers by market type.

15. Copyright Dr Mike Sutton 200915 Questionnaire Design The framing of the questions on a national crime survey needs to match a market typology that will best enable police, other crime prevention practitioners and policy makers to identify and prioritise specific markets and specific offenders, and other individuals, committing specific offences or other acts that facilitate theft through providing a market for supply by theft.

16. Copyright Dr Mike Sutton 200916 References Stevenson, R.J. and Forsythe, M.V. (1998) The Stolen Goods Market in New South Wales: An Interview Study With Imprisoned Burglars. New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. Sydney. ISBN 0 7313 2601 6 Sutton, M. (2009) Tackling Stolen Goods Markets. Problem Oriented Policing Guide for US Department of Justice COPS programme (in press) Sutton, M. (2009 in press) Understanding and Tackling Stolen Goods Markets. In Brookman et. Al. (Eds) Handbook of Crime. Cullompton Willan. Sutton,M. Hodgkinson, S. and Levi, M. (2008) HANDLING STOLEN GOODS: FINDINGS FROM THE 2003 OFFENDING CRIME AND JUSTICE SURVEY. Internet Journal of Criminology: http://www.internetjournalofcriminology.com/Sutton_Stolen_Goods.pdf http://www.internetjournalofcriminology.com/Sutton_Stolen_Goods.pdf Sutton, M., Schneider, J.L. and Hetherington, (2001) Tackling theft with the market reduction approach. Home Office Crime Reduction Research Series Paper 8. Sutton, M. (1998) Handling Stolen Goods and Theft: A Market Reduction Approach. Home Office Research Study 178. Home Office. London.