Day: December 26, 2014

Tradewatch to tackle sales of stolen goods

Partnership approach crackdown on stolen goods sales

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Police in Edinburgh have launched ‘Tradewatch’, a partnership campaign with the city’s second-hand retailers to help tackle thieves’ attempts to sell on stolen goods.

As part of the new scheme, all stores in the Capital have committed to sharing information in relation to individuals attempting to sell on stolen goods.

A process has been agreed between the management from each business to alert one another as soon as anyone attempts to sell any tems, which are suspected of being stolen.

Police will also be contacted and will progress any information received to identify offenders and seize the stolen property.

Tradewatch was developed as a result of the continued engagement and dialogue between second-hand retailers and Edinburgh Division’s Search and Recovery Team.

To further assist the stores, each will be provided with a SmartWater Technology Ltd UV lamp, which can be used to examine any goods brought into the store and establish whether they have been stolen.

Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Houston said: “Those responsible for acquisitive crime will often attempt to sell on stolen goods for profit and regularly attempt to utilise second-hand retailers to dispose of valuable items.

“However, we have an excellent and long-standing relationship with these businesses in Edinburgh and staff regularly assist our Search and Recovery Team in reuniting stolen property with its rightful owner as well as helping us identify those responsible for the thefts.

“With the launch of ‘Tradewatch’, these premises will instantly and readily share information on any suspicious customers so that items that have been acquired illegally are not bought and sold within their stores.

“I would like to thank our second-hand retailer partners for their assistance and co-operation in helping to create this campaign.”

Chief Inspector Richard Horan said: “Tackling housebreaking and robbery is a priority across the city and the ‘Tradewatch’ initiative is yet another tool in our armoury to bring those responsible for these crimes to justice.

“We continue to target and pursue those who steal through ongoing enforcement activity and partnership campaigns. The public also play a vital role in assisting us prevent these crimes, and making life difficult for criminals, by taking simple steps to safeguard their belongings.

“I would urge members of our communities to ensure their homes are always appropriately secured and that any items of value are stored safely out of public view. Details of the type of valuables within your property should never be disclosed to anyone you do not know or trust.

“Please remember that sheds, garages and other outbuilding are extensions of your home and should also be secured at all times.

“Our partnership with SmartWater Technology Ltd continues within the Capital and hundreds of homes have been issued with the unique chemical solutions to mark their property. However, additional home security measures such as alarms and motion-activated lighting should also be considered where possible. Your local community policing teams will be delighted to offer free crime prevention advice.”

David Patrick, CEO of Cash Converters UK, the UK’s largest second-hand retailer, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the police and a part of the new Tradewatch scheme as we are committed to tackling the issue of stolen goods in our stores.

“We have a zero tolerance policy towards stolen goods and a number of processes in place to deter criminals.

Anyone looking to sell an item to Cash Converters must present two forms of ID along with proof of address as per regulations set out by the Financial Conduct Authority. In addition they have to be photographed and sign an agreement confirming they are the legal owner of the goods.

We have a strong working relationship with Edinburgh Police and, as part of the Tradewatch scheme, are committed to sharing information with other businesses to help prevent crime and put a stop to stolen goods coming through our doors.”

Records reveal story of Leither who signed up on Boxing Day

Archivists uncover the story of Leith volunteer 

GD1-1228-17-3A hundred years ago today a young Leith butcher took the ‘King’s shilling’ and volunteered to join the British Army, pledging to play his part in the ‘war to end all wars’.

Scotland’s national archivists this week unearthed John Claperton’s registration certificate, issued on Boxing Day 1914 by the Army Recruiting Office then based in Cockburn Street, Edinburgh.

The discovery of the certificate, ‘of a man who is willing to serve his King and Country as a Soldier for the War’ prompted record keepers at National Records of Scotland to find out more about John’s First World War story.

GD1-1228-8By 13 January 1915, John, a 20 year-old butcher, had formally enlisted in the Army and went on to serve in the 9th Battalion, Royal Scots Regiment, then in the 12th Machine Gun Corps.

John was one of more than 650,000 Scots who served in the First World War, leaving his parents, George and Mary Clapperton and their Dalmeny Street home behind him.

After three years stationed in Kilmarnock and Grantham, Private John Warnock Clapperton was sent on active service to France, where he was badly wounded and left with no option but to have his right arm amputated in the field hospital.

The operation prevented John from completing his duties overseas and forced his return across the Channel, to hospitals in Reading and later in Edinburgh where he underwent further treatment. John’s devastating injury in the field may have saved his life.

In February 1919 John Warnock Clapperton was discharged from both the Edinburgh War Hospital at Bangour and the Armed Forces.

Unlike more than 100,000 Scots who never returned, John survived the Great War and returned to Leith where he later married Catherine Martin in 1941. John died in 1966, aged 71.

Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, said: “The First World War claimed the lives of more than 100,000 Scots and left many more, like Private John Clapperton, injured or disabled. No home, workplace or community was left untouched by the brutal effects of that war, leaving John’s family, and families across Scotland with no option but to come to terms with the devastating consequences.

“John’s is a story that will be familiar to many whose fathers, grandfathers, uncles and brothers went off to battle a century ago. Through the work of the Scottish Commemorations Panel, from 2014 to 2019 the Scottish Government is encouraging people of all ages across Scotland to recognise the significant and broad impact the First World War had on our nation and its people, and to reflect on its lasting social and civic legacy.

“John’s registration certificate has given us an interesting insight into the life of a young Scot whose wartime Christmas a 100 years ago would have been quite different to ours today.

“The document is one of millions proudly preserved in our national archive by National Records of Scotland. Its discovery demonstrates the rich heritage of Scotland’s people and shows how powerfully archives connect us directly to people and events in our past.”