Robin Edwards, owner of ONIS Consulting and a seasoned consultant to industry and law enforcement agencies, shares insights on the ongoing efforts of the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership (NICRP) in combating metal and infrastructure crime. As the partnership continues to expand, he highlights the critical role of collaboration between industry stakeholders, law enforcement, and the recycling sector in reducing criminal opportunities. Through regular meetings, targeted initiatives, and comprehensive training programs, NICRP fosters a united front to protect national infrastructure and ensure compliance across the sector.
The National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership (NICRP) continues to go from strength to strength in the fight against metal and infrastructure crime. The membership of this partnership continues to grow as we work together with the common objective of reducing the opportunities for criminals to profit from targeting national infrastructure. Our six weekly meetings are well attended and allow our members to work together to target threats, share best practices, and develop shared strategies to protect our national infrastructure.
The NICRP Police Tactical Meeting has representation from across UK enforcement and is critical to maintaining the close ties between industry and the police. This joined-up approach to tackling infrastructure crime has been extremely effective in tackling crime and non-compliance; however, the recycling sector has a critical role to play in this process.
The recent introduction of the NICRP Recyclers Group has brought the sectors together under the NICRP banner. This new working group brings End of Life Vehicle processors, Vehicle Breakers and Scrap Metal Dealers together to help protect their areas of business, as well as support enforcement agencies in the fight against crime. I know the sector faces numerous threats, from theft to unfair competition, and this group is the ideal forum to help address some of these challenges and provide an opportunity for us to work together to target those that undermine legitimate operators. We should all acknowledge those businesses and individuals who operate outside the law damage the legitimate sector, which is unacceptable and damaging to businesses, but we can only deal with them if we pull together. The group meets every quarter and has representation from trade bodies and independent dealers.
The effective management of assets is still an ongoing challenge, and it would be unrealistic to suggest we have addressed that threat, but we are making progress. Infrastructure companies acknowledge their assets are at risk, and by working together, we can make it not only a lot harder for criminals to steal their assets but, with the right processes, much harder for the criminals to dispose of them. We know from experience if they can’t sell stolen metal, they are less likely to steal it. However, again, vehicle recyclers and the metal recycling sector have a critical role to play in this process, and by asking the right questions and being more intrusive it will make the environment more challenging for criminals. The adage, ‘if I don’t buy it, someone else will’, just isn’t good enough.
The Metal Crime Awareness Training Programme has now reached over 2700 individuals from across enforcement agencies, including the police and local authorities. In fact, in some force areas, the training has been delivered on several occasions as the benefits of reducing crime are clear. This is making a real difference as police and licencing officers are now equipped with the skills they require to deal with non-compliance and criminal behaviour.
Towards the end of 2024, I anticipate that I will have delivered the training to the majority of police forces, which I see as a game changer when it comes to tackling crime. Those businesses which are non-compliant need to up their game or face the consequences of prosecution and the threat that they pose to their ability to trade. For too long, the legitimate sector has had to suffer unfair competition through non-compliance, and it’s time it stopped.
As I have mentioned previously, the Heritage Metal Awareness training was well received by scrap metal dealers. I would like to see a greater emphasis on training, which would, in my opinion, be a step forward in terms of achieving a greater degree of compliance with the legislation. There are still far too many vehicle recyclers and scrap metal dealers who either choose to ignore the requirements of the legislation or are not fully aware of their responsibilities. The opportunity to work with the sectors and develop trust between police and dealers is a critical part of the process when it comes to reducing crime. We should not be operating in silos, and the sector will play a key role in identifying those that are operating illegally. By working with enforcement, we will be able to either bring them into compliance or remove them from the sector.
On recent visits with the police, it had become clear that record keeping is one of the areas that is a cause for concern, and this is the basics. The standard of record keeping was very poor, and the requirements of the act were not being met; in fact, in a couple of cases, the records contained no details of the seller or what had been bought. A vehicle make is not sufficient detail, so if the basics are not being met, what else is not being done or complied with?
With the backing of the local authorities, my intention would be to include training as part of the licencing application process. This was added to the Scrap Metal Dealers Act Supplementary Guidance in January 2023 when we amended the document. The only difficulty is trying to secure a change to primary legislation, but that forms part of the wider project to review the 2013 Act, which is still ongoing.
If training was added to the licencing process, we could then introduce a programme to roll metal crime awareness training out across these sectors when licences are renewed. This would be a big step forward to raising awareness in terms of the responsibilities and requirements that end of life vehicle processers, vehicle breakers, and scrap metal dealers must comply with, but also the impact this type of crime has on communities and the UK economy. We can’t be selective and only train those businesses that want to work with enforcement; we need to work across all sectors to prevent criminals and certain dealers from profiting from theft and unfair business practices.
If we consider the work of the NICRP, the Police, Local Authorities, the Joint Unit for Wate Crime and our engagement with legitimate dealers, those who choose to flaunt the law, turn a blind eye to what they buy or engage in criminal activity should realise we might be coming to visit them next…
To contact Robin, visit www.onis-consulting.co.uk or call him on 0793 0115709.
About Robin Edwards
Robin Edwards is acknowledged as an expert in his field, having gained a wealth of experience in relation to the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2103 and metal crime. Robin was the National Project Lead for Operation Tornado, Operational Lead for the National Metal Theft Taskforce and was involved in the development and delivery of the 2013 Scrap Metal Dealers Act before retiring and setting up Onis Consulting, which works with enforcement and industry to tackle metal crime. Robin currently works for British Transport Police (BTP) as a subject matter expert. He was one of the founders of the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership, which he supports as a subject matter expert and trainer. He acts as an expert advisor to enforcement agencies in the UK and sits on numerous working groups. His knowledge and expertise around metal theft is recognised internationally.
