Jewelers’ Security Alliance released its 2019 Annual Crime Report which showed that dollar losses from crime against the U.S jewelry industry increased from $53.4 million in 2018 to $101 million in 2019, an increase of 89.1%. Burglary losses were the biggest driver of the increase going from $11.6 million in 2018 to $40.5 million in 2019.
Dollar losses from robberies increased from $22 million in 2018 to $34.3 million in 2019, a 55.9% increase.
For the first time in decades, no homicides of jewelers were recorded by JSA for 2019. Over the last 24 years, 124 jewelers have been killed in crimes against the industry.
John Kennedy, JSA President, said, “While losses have moderated in 2020 due to Covid-19 closures and disruptions, the disturbing statistics of 2019 should be a wake-up call for the industry that the bad old days of escalating crime losses can quickly return. JSA particularly thanks its FBI and law enforcement partners for their arrests of a large number of the dangerous criminals from 2019 cases.”
Alex Shishlo for Rough&Polished
