Regular contributor, Robin Edwards, owner of ONIS Consulting, consultant to Industry and Law Enforcement agencies, and currently working with the British Transport Police, provides ATF Professional with an update on the progress of the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership (NICRP).
It’s been a very busy few months since I last submitted an article to ATF Professional, and I think it’s time to provide an update in terms of what we have been doing and how much progress the NICRP has made during 2022.
In a previous article, I discussed the importance of training and how much impact well-trained enforcement officers can have when it comes to tackling catalytic converter theft, metal crime and dealing with businesses and individuals who seem intent on operating outside the law. The ongoing programme of training has continued, and to date, I have trained over 1600 police officers, enforcement officers and partners. The feedback from those who have participated in the training has been excellent, and we have had some real success stories which highlight the importance of continuing to drive this upskilling programme.
Those who have received the training have identified stolen cables, issued closure notices to unlicensed sites, prosecuted those who were non-compliant with the legislation and increased the number of sites that have been visited and inspected. The training gives enforcement officers a greater degree of confidence when they are investigating crimes and ensuring those covered by the act are compliant.
We recognised the need to formalise the training, and it is currently going through a process of Continual Professional Development Accreditation (CPD) which we hope will be awarded in the next few weeks. In addition, we are confident that the numbers who have received the training will increase, which will ensure enforcement across the country is standardised, and officers are equipped with the skills they need to tackle metal crime and non-compliance effectively.
As I mentioned earlier this year, the next stage will be to look at how we can upskill the recycling sector to help dealers understand the legislation, and their responsibilities, and make sure they are not unwittingly putting themselves at risk through non-compliance.
I see this as a real opportunity for scrap metal dealers and ATFs to protect themselves from prosecution for noncompliance around the legislation and falling foul of unwittingly finding themselves in possession of stolen material. I suspect it may be a step too far for some, and no amount of persuasion will see them participate, which would be a missed opportunity and a real shame. They need to be aware that as the training continues to be rolled out, enforcement will increase, and prosecutions will follow for those who refuse to be compliant or continue to turn a blind eye.
My advice remains that to those who are not confident they fully understand their obligations under the SMDA or have not kept themselves updated with current legislation, they should carefully consider participating in the training. As I have mentioned on more than one occasion, we are not trying to inhibit the recycling sector but help by creating a level playing field for those who remain compliant.
The economic challenges we face, coupled with the increase in the standard of living costs and commodity prices that continue to remain high, provide a very unfortunate set of circumstances that, in my opinion, will fuel a significant increase in Catalytic convertor theft and metal crime. As the summer comes to an end and the winter fuel rises kick in, it’s likely we will see an increase in low-level offending, which is not something we have seen to any great degree since 2014. This is very concerning, and even though the thefts can be small regarding the volumes stolen, the impact can be significant in terms of the security of our national infrastructure.
To combat this inevitable increase in criminal activity, all stakeholders need to pull together to fight crime and make it difficult for those involved in crime to sell stolen metal, cats, and other material. I have said this before, the ease at which criminals can dispose of stolen items and, I’m sad to say, be paid in cash, is very concerning and completely unacceptable. I have been told numerous times that it’s not the industry’s responsibility to police who sells them metal, cats, or vehicles. Well, I disagree, and there is not only a legal responsibility on the buyer but also an ethical responsibility to ensure what passes through their gates is legitimate and not stolen.
Pre-2012, we tried to persuade the scrap metal industry to come on board and take responsibility for how it operated and to consider self-policing. Unfortunately, they were not as willing as they should have been. The consequences of this were the introduction of Operation Tornado in 2012 and the Scrap Metal Dealers Act in 2013, which changed the way the sector operated, and from our perspective, made enforcement a lot easier. I have been told numerous times, “If I don’t buy it, then the dodgy yard down the road will” that’s just not an acceptable excuse. If there is a yard down the road that isn’t compliant and feels it is acceptable to operate outside the law, or turn a blind eye, tell us, or contact Crime Stoppers so we can deal with them.
The National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership (NICRP) is going from strength to strength with new members and new strategies to target infrastructure crime, with a lot of focus on metal theft. We held our first conference on the 7th of June, which was attended by enforcement agencies, infrastructure companies and representatives from the scrap metal, catalytic converter, and waste sectors. As we continue to grow and develop as an organisation and our membership widens, we become more effective in sharing best practice, intelligence, and enforcement strategies.
I was invited to talk at the annual British Vehicle Salvage Federation in April, and it was good to speak to the sector after several years and share the work we have been doing, which, as I said, is not just focused on enforcement but in support of the legitimate operators in the sector. On the 12th of May, I was invited to attend and speak at the International Platinum Group Metal Association meeting in Hersching, Munich, which was attended by companies from across Europe and representatives from the German and Belgian Police services. They were interested to learn more about the NICRP and the work that we have been doing in the UK, in particular, the training and enforcement activity to reduce catalytic converter theft. I have spoken to enforcement partners in America, and we have shared problems, and there are potential opportunities to collaborate to tackle transatlantic crime.
Although we are facing challenging times, I am confident the work and strategies we are developing in the NICRP will play a significant role in helping reduce infrastructure crime. The impact of these strategies, which includes the training, will help the recycling sectors as it will make it much more challenging for unscrupulous traders to operate, and criminals will find it harder to sell stolen material. This will, in turn, rebalance the playing field for those who are compliant and allow the sector to trade fairly and on an equal footing, which has, I’m afraid, been somewhat lacking.
To contact Robin, visit www.onis-consulting.co.uk or call him on 0793 0115709.
About Robin Edwards
Robin is acknowledged as an expert in his field, having gained a wealth of experience on the subject of metal crime as the National Project Lead for Operation Tornado, Operational Lead for the National Metal Theft Taskforce and through the work his company has been involved in over the last eight years. He had a significant role in the development of the 2013 Scrap Metal Dealers Ac. His depth of knowledge around the application of the legislation is frequently called upon both as an expert witness and in support of enforcement activity. In 2014 he set up Onis Consulting and works as an independent consultant guiding Industry and Law Enforcement agencies through the challenges of developing effective preventative metal crime strategies. He currently works with British Transport Police and the NICRP as a subject matter expert and supports enforcement operations, delivers training across the UK. Robin is part of the team that developed and delivered the NICRP, sits on a number of working groups, and his expertise and guidance are sought internationally.
