The Jewelers’ Security Alliance’s British counterpart, the Jewellery Industry Security Working Group (JISWG), has been endorsed by the National Association of Goldsmiths (NAG), the British Jewellers’ Association, the Company of Master Jewellers, and the National Association of Pawnbrokers. JISWG is headed by Detective Constable Alan Townsend, crime prevention coordinator, who established the group to provide security advice for retail jewelers, encourage liaison between the industry and police forces nationwide, and assist independent jewelers who may be particularly vulnerable to crime.

Townsend encourages jewelers to obtain a free copy of “Personal Safety & Security for Retail Jewellers,” a booklet aimed at helping retail jewelry sales staff prevent armed robberies. Over the next year, JISWG hopes to produce several one-page fact sheets to help jewelers avoid “tricksters, three-minute burglaries, bad checks and charge backs, and provide at-a-glance advice on emergency security planning, tips for traveling jewelers, and detecting synthetic moissanite.”