Britons turn blind eye to stolen goods
Artykuł pochodzi z pisma "Guardian"
Britons turn blind eye to stolen goods
Britons have spent nearly £1bn on items bought illegally in pubs and bars, a survey published today suggested.
About 12% of people surveyed for Halifax Home Insurance said they had bought jewellery, DVDs or electrical goods in a pub at least once, spending an average of £168.
Two-thirds of people said they would knowingly buy stolen goods, and 64% of those said they would not be put off if the object appeared to have come from someone's home.
Only one in five people who have bought such items in a pub said they asked the seller where the goods had come from.
Almost half of respondents said they would not report someone selling stolen goods to the police.
Professor Martin Gill, criminologist at Leicester University, said: "Offenders tell me that selling stolen goods is easy because people rarely question the legitimacy or history of the goods that they are buying."
Turning a blind eye meant that people who considered themselves law-abiding were effectively sustaining a market for thieves, he said.
Vicky Emmott, senior underwriter at Halifax Home Insurance, said: "Millions of Britons may be unwittingly fuelling a cycle of theft by making it easy for burglars to resell their products in pubs and bars.
"People should be aware that this is not a victimless crime. Their pursuit of a bargain is part of the reason burglary remains a widespread social problem.
"It is crucial they report suspicious traders operating in public houses and we would urge the public to only purchase goods from legitimate sources."
She cautioned that people who bought goods from unlicensed traders in pubs could face criminal prosecution if they are found to have handled items stolen from someone's home.
The most recent figures from the British Crime Survey found that domestic burglaries declined by 11% in the final quarter of last year, compared with the same period in 2004.
appear- wydawać się
bargain- okazja
burglary- włamanie, rabunek
caution- ostrzegać, przestrzegać
criminal prosecution- oskarżenie o popełnienie przestępstwa
crucial - kluczowy, istotny
decline- zmniejszać się, spadać
face- stanąć w obliczu, mieć do czynienia z
fuel- napędzać
handle- mieć do czynienia z
knowingly- świadomie
law-abiding- praworządny
legitimacy- legalność, legalne pochodzenie
offender- przestępca
operate- działać
publish- publikować, podawać do wieadomości
pursuit- pogoń
put off- odstręczać
report- informować, donosić
survey- ankieta
suspicious- podejrzany
sustain- podtrzymywać
trader- handlarz
turn a blind eye to- patrzeć prze palce
underwriter- agent ubezpieczeniowy
unwittingly- bezwiednie, nieświadomie
urge- zachęcać, zalecać
widespread- szeroko rozpowszechniony
TEST
