NCJ Number
206014
Date Published
2004
Length
14 pages
Annotation
After discussing the dynamics of the link between theft and the market for stolen goods, this chapter describes the market reduction approach (MRA) developed in Great Britain to address the roots of theft by reducing public tolerance of stolen goods markets.
Abstract
In most cases, unless thieves believe they can sell what they steal, they will not steal it; and if they cannot sell what they steal, they are unlikely to incur the risk of stealing items that cannot be converted to cash. This reasoning is at the center of the MRA. The MRA examines each of the different markets for stolen goods and then conducts systematic intelligence-gathering to determine who is dealing in those markets and how they operate. By using an array of police tactics and interagency interventions to disrupt and reduce each type of market for stolen goods, the MRA intends to make stealing and dealing in stolen goods more difficult and risky. Markets for stolen goods are concentrated in the poorest neighborhoods. This is probably the most important influence on the prevalence of crime and the incidence of victimization that is regularly experienced by people who live there. There is a cycle of purchasing stolen items at low cost only to have them stolen and resold to someone else looking for a bargain. The cycle can only be broken by combining a crackdown upon the thieves and the dealers while replacing illicit markets with legitimate alternatives that make it still possible to get a bargain. At the time of the writing of this chapter, MRA projects are operating in several British police force jurisdictions. Whether or not they will be successful in reducing theft is being determined by independent evaluations currently underway.