We Don’t Buy Crime blog: 2023 so far

Welcome to the third edition of our acquisitive crime blog.

Our We Don’t buy Crime (WDBC) team help to prevent crime and keep communities safe across Gwent.

By partnering with communities and businesses, the team are able to catch and convict offenders who commit:

• burglary
• robbery
• theft
• vehicle crime.

The month of January saw a decrease, from December, in acquisitive crime – including theft, bicycle theft, and vehicle theft. It also saw a decrease in bicycle theft, commercial burglary, residential burglary, and vehicle crime compared to the two year monthly average.

The WDBC team have been working hard with residents across Gwent throughout January, and have:

• reviewed 1,383 acquisitive crimes
• recovered £22,000 worth of stolen goods
• marked 154 motorbikes and bikes with Smart Water
• trained 98 people in spotting the signs of exploitation
• distributed 139 crime prevention packs to residents and businesses across Gwent.

To date, the team have recovered £176,345 worth of goods thanks to forensic marking.

Inspector Carl Morgan said:

“The team work alongside partners and communities, as well as colleagues from across the force, to tackle serious and organised acquisitive crime.

“Through the deployment of covert assets, as well as the use of SmartWater marking, officers are able to target the most prolific offenders and reunite owners with their property.

“January saw some great results from the team, and we anticipate more great results moving forward.”

Take a look at some of the other work our team has carried out…

The team worked alongside our neighbour teams to host a number of bike marking events throughout January.

These pop-up events were held in areas across Gwent in order for people to take their bikes to be security marked. A total of 85 bikes were security marked using BikeRegisterUK.

PC Anthony Moore, our business crime officer, visited the Wales Air Ambulance store in blackwood following a burglary.

He provided them with crime prevention signs and Smart Water Tech to help keep their business safe.

Our trainers, Natalie and Karon, attended the Celtic Manor to train partners in spotting the signs of vulnerability and exploitation in adults and children. While Huw, our WDBC coordinator, attended Bargoed Garden Club to provide an overview of the WDBC department and gave crime prevention advice tailored to gardeners and the use of sheds and greenhouses.

January also saw our business crime officers support the Safer Streets 4 campaign, as they signed up 40 businesses to the scheme.

Metal crime

As the value of scrap metal continues to rise, officers have seen a rise in thieves targeting vehicles fitted with catalytic converters.

The WDBC team facilitated metal crime development training for 18 officers in January and hope to do more throughout the year.

After this training was carried out:

• 64 alerts were sent out to second-hand retailers and scrap dealers
• 16 scrap metal sites in Gwent were visited by our business crime offers under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act.

Our partners, events, and community

Our team continue to work with the community and out partners to protect the public and businesses.

They work to identify crime trends, ensure preventative work is in place, support victims of crime and identify those committing it within our communities.

To find out more about their upcoming events and where they are within the community, follow the team on Twitter or visit their page on our website.

If you would like to find out more about how the team can help you, please email [email protected]

If you witness a crime, please call 101, use our online reporting system, or message us on Facebook and Twitter. You can also report it 100% anonymously to Crimestoppers via their website or by calling 0800 555 111.

In an emergency, always dial 999.