Recharger.com

Industry Alert: Thousands of Empties Stolen in UK

September 5, 2002

A recent string of break-ins has left British cartridge brokers, dealers and remanufacturers short of stock, as tens of thousands of empty cartridges haven been stolen in recent months. Remanufacturers around the world need to be on alert to protect their stocks and know their sources of empty cartridges.

"There seems to be a number of related burglaries," said Police Constable Neil Crux. "They have been breaking into warehouses, and are stealing a few thousand empty cartridges at a time."

Crux said that there have been six to eight break-ins over the past months, including one as recently as late August. All of the burglaries are in the southeast or Midlands area -- within a 200-mile radius of each other, he said. While the locations vary quite a bit, police have evidence to suggest that the break-ins may be related, and are still following leads.

David Connett, publisher of The Recycler, put the number of break-ins closer to 10, and indicated that the cartridges stolen so far are worth about a quarter of a million dollars. "It's predominantly inkjet cartridges, as well as some high-value, scarce laser cartridges," he said. "It's a substantial volume, and is having an impact on production capacity.

"(The thieves) know exactly what they're doing," Connett said. They know which cartridges are the most valuable, and in one large remanufacturer's building, "They knew exactly where to go, which windows to break and which doors to force."

"The industry need to be alerted," said Phyllis Gurgevich, publisher of Recharger Magazine. "Dealers, brokers and remanufacturers worldwide need to take steps to make sure they secure their own supplies of empties. They also need to be on the lookout for cartridges with suspicious origins. The best way to do that is to know your sources. The stolen cartridges are only worth something if someone will buy them."

General security precautions can help protect your business against break-ins. Store cartridges in a secure location, and use alarms and security lights to help safeguard your business. Install burglar-resistant glass, or put mesh or bars over windows, use solid doors with deadbolt, rekey locks and change alarm codes when there are staff changes. Also check with your insurance company and local police agencies, which are good sources of information on securing your business.

Connett also recommended marking empty cartridges with an ultraviolet stamp so they can be identified if the cartridges are stolen and later recovered by police.

If you have any information on the burglaries, or are approached with suspicious cartridges, contact Crux at +44 (0) 1707 638244.