ABM's crime and investigation blog » Counterfeit cigarettes fuel national grid

Counterfeit cigarettes fuel national grid

Edward Mills — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:19:37 +0000

The fight against illicit tabacco products continues – The UK Borders Agency and HM Revenue & Customs officers have arrested two men on suspicion of smuggling 10 million cigarettes into the UK. The smuggled cigarettes, which arrived in the UK by cargo container from Dubai, had evaded around £1.8 million in duty.

The confiscated cigarettes will apparently be incinerated, providing power to the National Grid.

Retail shrinkage up 6.6% since last year

Edward Mills — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:17:29 +0000

The annual Global Retail Theft Barometer has found that shrinkage (shoplifting, employee fraud, organised crime etc.) has increased globally by 6.6% this year, totalling €88.878 million. In Europe, the increase in shrinkage has been even greater at 7.8% (representing 1.39% of retail sales).

Expenditure on loss prevention and security increased by 5.6% globally to €21m but the author of the report, Professor Joshua Bamfield, said that those retailers which achieved a reduction in shrinkage increased their loss prevention expenditure by twice this figure.

The report shows that, in these difficult economic times, retail theft is a growing problem. Retailers must think more creatively to overcome the challenges and maintain control over shrinkage.

Crimestoppers experiences 700% increase in calls following London riots

Edward Mills — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 09:27:34 +0000

Following the civil disturbances in London during August, Crimestoppers received over 2,500 actionable calls after CCTV images were released of various offenders. In conversation with the Head of Operations at Crimestoppers, I was pleased to hear that abmpegasus Information In Confidence played an important part in Crimestoppers’ activity during that period. The abmpegasus system was implemented at Crimestoppers to provide a more reliable and resilient system for securely managing confidential information. The riots could not have been predicted then, but the decision to upgrade their systems certainly paid off – despite a 700% increase in calls and 40% increase in users of the abmpegasus system, it continued to provide a reliable service, ensuring the security and confidentiality of information provided by members of the public.

Police Resilience in Spite of Cuts

Edward Mills — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:34:51 +0000

#suptconf11 – Police Resilience and Staffing Cuts… Two of the key issues at the core of discussions during the Police Superintendents’ Association conference this week.

During the opening session, Dr. Timothy Brain suggested that, “the sword of Damocles has fallen on police”. With a projected loss of 16,000 police officers and 18,000 staff, the budget cuts will certainly have a significant impact on UK policing. Such cuts will demand new approaches to the way that police resources and operations are managed. Despite the apparent concern, Derek Barnett, president of the PSAEW, was upbeat, emphasising throughout the conference that “change is upon us but change can be positive”. The changes will demand a more efficient, more intelligence-led, more proactive approach to policing that achieves more with less.

At ABM, we support the notion that change can be positive and are keen to work with our customers to work out ways of delivering police services in more efficient ways. We are listening now more than ever to the issues that are troubling police forces – from reduction in back office staff to concerns over the efficiency of intelligence operations. Through cooperation with technology developers like ABM, police forces really can deliver the results that the public depend on.

Intellectual Property Crime Report 2010-2011

Edward Mills — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:16:49 +0000

The Intellectual Property Office has published its annual IP Crime report, showing that the sale and distribution of counterfeit and pirated goods over the internet has increased over the last year. It cites a number of major counterfeiting cases including an £11m confiscation order secured by Enfield Trading Standards in May 2010 and the jailing of six men who used high-tech equipment to produce 24 fake bottles of vodka a minute.

The report highlights that counterfeiting is a continuing problem for brands in a wide variety of industries and that much more needs to be done to prevent the production, import and sale of counterfeit goods.

Addressing sexual offenses and misconduct by law enforcement

Edward Mills — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:43:24 +0000

Published June 2011, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) executive guide to “Addressing Sexual Offenses and Misconduct by Law Enforcement” raises some troubling questions for law enforcement agencies across America and beyond. Failure to maintain adequate management oversight of officers’ actions can be an important factor contributing to the risk of sexual misconduct. Law enforcement agencies looking for a solution to the problem should consider abmpegasus – a leading software system for law enforcement that improves management oversight of undercover policing activity.

Reported on this blog just yesterday was the case of Vancouver Police Department (WA), where four officers have been disciplined after it was revealed that a confidential informant handler was having an inappropriate relationship with his informant. Such behaviour seriously damages the reputation of law enforcement agencies and it is essential that agencies take strong action to prevent such transgressions.

Fake Starbucks, fake Subway, fake Nike, fake Apple

Edward Mills — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:01:47 +0000

Major brands are increasingly being targeted by unscrupulous Chinese businesses seeking to profit from other companies’ brand reputation. Following the recent outing of several fake Apple Stores in Kunming, CTV have reported on other fake stores across China, ranging from furntiture outlets to coffee shops.

This kind of forgery damages brand reputation and value. The Chinese government and brand owners need to take steps to overcome this apparently increasing phenomenon.

One third of China’s local seed companies sell counterfeit seeds

Edward Mills — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:15:50 +0000

According to the China Daily, analysts say that a third of local seed companies sell normal seeds, claiming that they are superior breeds or genetically modified. Such activity leaves farmers disappointed with poor crop yields and global biotechnology giants, like Monsanto and Pioneer, out of pocket from lost sales.

This is yet another example of the threat to brand protection that all sectors currently face. Brand owners need to think carefully about how they can protect their brand reputation and the perceived value of their product.

Fake Apple Stores in China

Edward Mills — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 10:42:13 +0000

A blogger in China has photographed a number of allegedly fake Apple stores in Kunming city, China. This shows the lengths that people will go to in order to make money out of illicit products. It also supports those that suggest the problem of counterfeiting is indemic in Chinese society. Go to BirdAbroad to see the photos and all the comments.

103 million counterfeit goods detected on EU borders in 2010

Edward Mills — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:01:49 +0000

The European Commission has published its 2010 Report on EU customs enforcement of intellectual property rights, stating that there were 79,112 detentions of goods suspected of infringing Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) leading to 103.3 million seized items with a domestic retail value of €1.1 billion.

What were the most frequently seized articles?

- Cigarettes – 34%
- Office stationary – 9%
- Other tobacco products – 8%
- Labels, tags and emblems – 8%
- Clothing – 7%
- Toys – 7%

85% of the seized goods originated from China. The report illustrates the continuing problem of counterfeit smuggling into the EU.