Summary
Aim
In this study, over 5,000 NSW residents were surveyed to see whether or not they had been offered stolen goods.
Abstract
There is currently little information on how stolen goods are disposed of, or what proportion of the New South Wales (NSW) population is involved in the stolen goods market. In this study, over 5,000 NSW residents were surveyed to see whether or not they had been offered stolen goods. The results indicated that five per cent of the NSW population had been offered stolen goods in the last year. However, out of those who were offered stolen goods, approximately two-thirds had been offered them more than once in the last year. Looking at the demographics of those offered stolen goods, men were more than twice as likely as women to be offered stolen goods; and the odds of people in their teens or twenties being offered stolen goods were approximately nine times higher than those of people aged 50 or above. A variety of methods which could be used to try to reduce burglary are discussed.