CROOKS, looking to flog their stolen loot in exchange for cash, will find themselves being given short shrift.


Pawn shops in Basildon and Pitsea have signed up to an agreement - officially called a memorandum of understanding - with police not to accept stolen gear in exchange for cash.


Commonly crooks across Basildon and the rest of the UK frequently try to offload jewellery and electrical items stolen in house burglaries and other raids to pawn brokers.


Staff in pawn shops are legally not obliged to investigate where items have come from although they should contact police if they suspect an item is stolen.


Under the new agreement pawn shops in Pitsea and Basildon will scrutinise items bought in for cash more closely.


Any suspicious items - for example electrical goods with the serial numbers scratched off - will prompt staff to notify police.


Officers will also be visiting the shops regularly to gather information on using them to sell goods.


All of the shops who sign up to the agreement - of which there are already several in both towns - will display posters warning people they are working closely with police.


PC Alan Ratnage, of Pitsea police, said he hoped the move would help cut the number of burglaries in the run-up to Christmas by making it more difficult for burglars to sell their loot.


He said: “In the run-up to Christmas will always tend to see more acquisitive crime, particularly burglaries.


“What we are doing is trying to build better relationships with the pawn brokers and making sure they are aware for telltale signs to look out for which may suggest something is stolen.


“The aim is also to make life more difficult for criminals and to make pawn brokers a less pleasant environment for them to offload their stolen gear.”


The memorandum of understanding has been backed by Basildon’s Community Safety Partnership (CSP).


Malcolm Buckley, Basildon Council’s cabinet member for community safety, said: “We know criminals use the shops as a means to take stolen items too so we want to make it as difficult as possible for them and drive down crime within the borough.


“It is a criminal offence to sell stolen goods and we want to ensure that local shops are trading responsibly.


“We also plan to implement the scheme in Wickford and Billericay.”