Jewellery traders fear for staff

After a spate of jewellery store heists in Port Elizabeth, along the Garden Route and at Cape Town's waterfront, store owners said they believed an organised syndicate was at work.

Eastern Cape gemstone salesman Glen Williams said the burglars knew exactly what they were doing and were precise, accurate and meticulous.

“Shops in the Eastern Cape and especially along the Garden Route have been hit continuously. It seems to occur in waves and one can track which way the syndicate is travelling.”

Williams said Francarlo Jewellers, in Walmer Park, and Tavares, in Pier 14, Port Elizabeth, and jewellery stores along the Garden Route had been hit by robbers in the last year, as well as four stores at Cape Town's V&A Waterfront.

He said it was definitely the work of a syndicate. “The alarming thing is that jewellery is the easiest thing to liquidate into cash. You can change jewellery into cash in less than 12 hours at any pawn shop and burglars know it,” he said.

Williams said a “horrible network” had developed where some dubious precious metal suppliers had now opted to buy second-hand gold from pawn shops, because it was so easily accessible and cheap.

He said the difficulty in getting a jewellery manufacturing permit had aggravated the problem because some manufacturers had taken “the easy way out” by buying second-hand gold so that they could carry on trading.

Williams said the solution would be to make it more difficult for the burglars to sell stolen jewellery.

“The onus is on the police to curb the buying and selling of stolen property.

A precious metal supplier will sell raw 9ct gold for R100 a gram, but these thieves are selling it for as little as R40. So the precious metal supplier is doubling his money buying from them.”

Williams said pawn shops especially needed to abide by rules like taking pictures of all the goods sold, only buying items that the seller had a receipt for and keeping items for a 21-day mandatory period.

Consumers should also try to ensure that they only bought from members of the Jewellery Council of South Africa.

“Crime just feeds more crime. No one should be buying stolen goods. They should only buy from reputable jewellers who belong to the council.”

Francarlo Jewellers owner Francarlo Micilotta said after his store was robbed in March he hoped the government would come up with a better system for control.

“We are not happy with the situation and I am worried about the safety of my staff and the store.”

He said although he was a member of the council, it did not mean that all stores that were not members of the council were dishonest.

“There are honest jewellery stores and manufacturers that do not belong to the council. I think many of them do not have permits because of how tedious and difficult it is to get one.”

Jewellery Council of South Africa chief executive Lourens Mare said he was aware of the tedious process involved in receiving a manufacturing permit, but the council was actively working with the government and talks were continuing.

“One cannot point a finger at the government for all the illegal activity. Some of the details needed for the application of a permit are providing police clearance, a business plan and other details,” said Mare.

He was aware of a possible syndicate operating in the Eastern Cape, but jewellery syndicates operated all over the world.

The chairman of the diamond and jewellery federation‘s anti-crime sub-committee, Howard Bell, said jewellery stores in the country were very vulnerable.

“I would say there is an organised syndicate operating because jewellery that is stolen is very rarely recovered. This means that they have a very effective distribution channel.”

He said these thefts were a “national plague” and stores should do everything in their ability to safeguard themselves, including installation of CCTV cameras and hiring guards.

Source: The Herald

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