JSA Reports Decline in Crimes Against US Jewelry Trade

(IDEX Online News) – Crimes against the American jewelry trade fell in the first half of this year, the Jewelers' Security Alliance (JSA) reported in its preliminary crime report.

The JSA said that burglaries, robberies and thefts all fell in the first six months of this year from a year earlier.

In the January-June period, there were 740 cases of crime causing losses of $35.3 million. That compares with 844 crimes and losses of more than $41 million for the year-earlier period.

According to JSA figures, the number of crimes has been rising in recent years while the financial value of the stolen items has declined, indicating that criminals prefer acts that are easier to carry out and involve less chance of being caught, such as grab-and-run and three-minute burglaries

The worst years for the US industry in financial terms were 2008 and 2009 with 714 incidents with a value of $48.6 million and 789 cases worth $49.6 million, respectively.

However, in 2010 and 2011, there were more crimes but with a lower financial value – 810 crimes with a value of $44.1 million and 771 worth $40.3 million, respectively.