The British Journal of Criminology 41:101-118 (2001)
© 2001 Centre for Crime & Justice Studies (formerly ISTD)
The Stolen Goods Market in New South Wales, Australia
An Analysis of Disposal Avenues and Tactics
Richard J. Stevenson, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia; Lubica M. V. Forsythe and Don Weatherburn, New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Attorney General’s Department, Sydney, NSW. The authors would like to thank Shyama Batra, Kerrie Bannister, Roseanne Bonney, Neil Bridge, Thalia Struve-Broughton, Christine Coumarelos, Julianne Elliot, Simon Eyland, Tony Jenkins, Bronwyn Lind, Peter O’Connor, Libby Ostinga, Jonno Nichol, Pia Salmelainen, Pat Ward, the Intelligence Officers of the Cabramatta Patrol, the NSW Department of Corrective Services, the NSW Department of Juvenile Justice, the NSW Police Service (who contributed substantially to the funding of the study) and many other individuals who greatly assisted the project. Finally, a special thanks is due to all the respondents who generously shared their experiences with us.
Lack of information about the stolen goods market has hampered its use by police as a means of controlling burglary rates. This study investigated how the market functions by interviewing 267 imprisoned burglars. It found that burglars used an average of four different methods of disposal. The most common was trading stolen goods directly for drugs—mainly heroin in adults and cannabis in juveniles. Other methods included selling to family/friends, fences, legitimate businesses, pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers. Disposal of stolen goods appeared efficient, profitable and low risk. Many goods were stolen on commission and disposed of quickly, often in under one hour from the burglary. Burglars obtained between 25–33 per cent of the new price for certain stolen goods, earned a median income of AUS$2,000 per week and gave little thought to being caught. Receivers stood to make considerable profits and were also unlikely to be apprehended. The implications of these data for controlling the flow of stolen goods are discussed.
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