The British Security Industry Association’s (BSIA) SaferGems and SaferCash initiatives have hit the ground running in 2023, exhibiting at a major policing conference, winning a prestigious award and partnering with Crimestoppers on a major crime prevention campaign.

SaferGems, the major initiative against crime in the Jewellery, Antiques and Fine Art Trades, hosted by the BSIA and funded by the retail jewellery industry, exhibited at the Secured by Design (SBD) ATLAS exhibition and conference, highlighting their work to Designing Out Crime Officers from police forces around the country.

The SaferGems team, which already has links to all UK police forces, records details of crimes against the jewellery/pawnbroking industry, sends alerts to its members, who are either members of the National Association of Jewellers (NAJ) or insured via brokers TH March, coordinates data across police forces to improve identification and conviction of criminals, circulates images and new crime trends and assists the police in linking offences and offenders.

The same week, the organisation attended the Trade Association Forum Awards, where SaferGems and their sponsors, the NAJ, won the Best Association/Supplier Partnership Award for 2023.

Commenting on the award, Head of SaferCash and SaferGems Sarah Staff said: “We remain committed to our collective goal of reducing crime in our sector, and winning this prestigious award is a fantastic acknowledgement of the myriad benefits of effective collaboration between trade associations and national agencies.

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“It is an honour to see our partnership recognised on the national stage, and we thank everyone for their hard work in achieving this accolade.”

SaferCash also exhibited at the SBD ATLAS exhibition and conference, as well as partnering with Crimewatch for a reconstruction of a Cash and Valuables in Transit robbery and with Crimestoppers to launch an ATM distraction theft awareness campaign.

SaferCash is an intelligence sharing initiative tackling organised physical acquisitive crime through a strong working partnership with UK Law Enforcement and Cash and Valuables in Transit members, independent ATM providers and financial institution partners.

SaferCash has six seconded Police staff who work closely with members and UK Police Forces in gathering crime data and understanding emerging threats, whilst supporting investigations and providing crime prevention advice. SaferCash produces reports, bulletins, and alerts to share this information with the police and partners.

This month saw SaferCash featured on national television with an appearance by Sarah Staff on Crimewatch Live, hosted by the BBC. SaferCash highlighted a particular ‘Cash in Valuables’ armed robbery which took place in Greater Manchester in March 2022, and the bravery shown by the crew member.

Crimewatch are featuring this case with a reconstruction demonstrating how the police caught the offender.

Additionally, the SaferCash initiative has commissioned two short public animations. The first aims to raise awareness of physical attacks against ATMs, and the other provides crime prevention advice relating to ATM distraction crime. These animations will be launched in partnership with Crimestoppers ATM Distraction Theft Awareness Campaign in April.

Jon Cole, Chief Operating Officer at Police Crime Prevention Initiatives, said: “Police CPI act as a catalyst to bring public and private sector organisations together to reduce crime, the fear of crime, and create safer places for people to live, work, play and visit.

“Working with partner organisations such as the BSIA and their SaferGems and SaferCash initiatives, both of which are endorsed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, we can understand emerging threats and work to mitigate them, supporting businesses across the UK”.

2023 saw the return of the SBD ATLAS national training conference and exhibition for the first time since 2020, with this year’s event heralded as the biggest and best yet.

The event saw over 200 Designing Out Crime Officers (DOCOs) from across the UK join senior police officers and a range of guest speakers to attend workshops, as well as network with more than 50 SBD member companies exhibiting hundreds of security products.

SBD is the flagship of a range of crime prevention ventures that come under the banner of Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (Police CPI), which also include the Police Crime Prevention Academy, the Licensing SAVI initiative, the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme, Secured Environments and the Park Mark Safer Parking Scheme.