How Thieves Think about Stolen Good Markets

1. Offenders generally had no fear of being arrested when selling stolen goods:
   • Thieves had little or no fear that an arrested fence would inform on them
   • Thieves selling stolen goods to strangers, or neighbors, had no fear that these people would ‘inform’ on them – strangers were generally described as workers on industrial estates, mini-cab drivers, builders, and young motorists
   • Any change in the level of difficulty in selling stolen goods was rare, but when this happened it was due to changes in fashion – and was then reflected by a reduction in price
   • Thieves rarely knew of anyone who had been arrested for selling stolen goods
2. General Modus Operandi for thieves selling and transporting stolen goods:
   • Many thieves had around 20 to 30 people and retail outlets where they feel they could ‘safely’ sell stolen goods
   • A recently arrested residential fence usually started dealing again after just four weeks thieves usually managed to sell stolen goods within 24 hours of their theft
   • Thieves did not, generally, need to try hard or travel around to sell stolen goods, as they nearly always sold in their local area
   • Drug-using shoplifters eventually became so well known locally that they had to travel to other towns and cities in order to steal
   • Those forced to travel to steal did so because they were too well known locally but they usually returned to their local area in order to sell
   • Shoplifters who used drugs and traveled by train often did not buy tickets
3. Specific modus operandi for stashing stolen goods:
   • Despite occasionally losing their own, and finding the stashes of other thieves, thieves generally felt confident that their stashes of stolen goods were safe
   • Stolen goods were rarely dumped or given away
   • Back alleyways were used to stash all kinds of stolen goods
   • Back alleys were also used to transport stolen goods by burglars traveling on foot
   • Shoplifters and burglars generally stashed goods in ‘safe’ places in public and semi-public areas
   • Shoplifters generally only gathered up their ‘booty’ from where it had been stashed after they finished stealing for the day
   • Burglars usually returned to the stashed goods with their buyer

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