Dramatic rise seen in smash and grab robberies

According to the Jewelers’ Security Alliance (JSA) in 2014 smash and grab robberies rose by 77% over 2013. Watch this video of a smash and grab robbery from ABC News –http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/smash-grab-robberies-rise-us-31353073

On the JSA website, http://www.jewelerssecurityalliance.org, you can find crime prevention advice including these recommendation to help reduce the smash and grab epidemic:

Smash and grab robbery recommendations

In 2014 a total of 110 smash and grab robberies of jewelry stores in theU.S. were reported to JSA, compared to 62 in 2013, a 77% increase. Jewelerscan’t rely only on the great work by law enforcement to help with this crimeproblem. Below are some recommendations provided to jewelers by JSA to helpreduce the smash and grab epidemic.

1. Showcases with burglary-resistant, laminated glass and special frames canwithstand many blows with a hammer and can prevent or reduce large losses.JSA has not seen robbers take retaliatory action when laminated glass isused and robbers are unable to enter a showcase or are able to take only asmall amount of merchandise from a small hole. Furthermore, robbersfrequently cut themselves on small holes and leave behind valuable DNAevidence from blood.
2. Surveillance photos from eye-level cameras inside and outside the store provide excellent evidence for police.
3. Having buzzers on the door can help to keep out potential robbers.
4. Keeping a logbook of suspicious incidents, and putting aside and saving surveillance video of suspicious incidents, can be a great help in subsequent investigations.
5. Sharing information and photos among jewelers and police, and with JSA, regarding casings and suspects can help prevent crime and assist with investigations.

The Jewelers’ Security Alliance (JSA) is a non-profit trade association providing crime prevention information and services to the jewelry industry. JSA, founded in 1883, has 21,000 member locations and works closely with the FBI and law enforcement agencies throughout the U.S.

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