(PRESS RELEASE) NEENAH, WI — Jewelers Mutual Group, the insurance and business solutions provider, dedicated to the jewelry industry since 1913, is leading a movement to curb the rise of jewelry crime in the U.S. and Canada. Partner for Protection is a rallying cry, encouraging jewelers to take collective action against crime by staying vigilant in their jewelry communities and holding themselves accountable to higher safety and security standards.
Jewelers Mutual is assisting these efforts by investing in additional loss prevention education, collaborating with security experts, and making enhancements to its Risk Services portfolio to help keep jewelers, their staff, and stores safer and more secure.
Crimes against jewelry businesses continues to surge in 2022. In the U.S., jewelry industry crime is up 14% year over year and has surpassed 50% from 2019. According to the Jewelers’ Security Alliance, California jewelers experienced a 200% increase in smash-and-grab robberies in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the first quarter of 2021. In some Canadian communities, daytime crime, including armed robberies, smash-and-grabs, and grab-and-runs, has increased over 300% year over year.
“What we’re seeing are more high-profile, brazen attacks that happen quickly and result in high-dollar losses,” said Mike Alexander, chief operating officer at Jewelers Mutual. “The threat is real, and it’s affecting the lives and livelihoods of jewelers everywhere. Our industry’s future depends on the actions we take today.”
Known for decades as an industry leader in loss prevention expertise, Jewelers Mutual wants to empower the jewelry industry to think differently about crime and rethink their safety strategy. In a personal address to the industry, Alexander reminds jewelers, “It’s not if crime will happen at your business, but when.”
Jewelers Mutual believes a safer jewelry business is a more successful one. By joining the movement to Partner for Protection, jewelers pledge to:
- Rethink their security strategy and make safety a top priority for their jewelry business;
- Stay vigilant and follow safety and security best practices;
- Be a leader in getting the message out to their staff, neighbors, and jewelry community.
Each jewelry business can help reduce their risks to crime for the benefit of the entire industry. Visit PartnerForProtection.com to learn more and join the movement.
Data derived from Jewelers’ Security Alliance and Jewelers Mutual Group.