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News / Archive - October 2006
2nd October 2006
Brent & Harrow Trading Standards Service working in partnership with the Metropolitan Police and the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) swooped again on the illegal DVD street traders who plague the public along St Anns Road, Harrow on Monday 2nd October 2006.
Up to twenty traders were observed selling illegal counterfeit and pornographic DVDs on Monday afternoon by Harrow Council’s CCTV operators and undercover Trading Standards and Police Officers.
Once the relevant surveillance was complete and some of the necessary evidence had been gathered, Trading Standards and a mix of plain clothed and uniformed Police Officers, received the ‘GO Go Go’ command over their radios to move in so the Police could arrest those involved with this illegal activity.
The street traders attempted to run off out of the town centre or into nearby shops, trying to blend into the crowds to avoid being caught. Several were caught hiding in shops or in Harrow on the Hill Station. In total nine traders were stopped, six males and three females. Over 1000 illegal DVDs were seized, many of which featured the latest blockbuster cinema titles.
The operation was organised in response to the continual number of complaints received by Trading Standards and the Police from the public and local businesses who are fed up with the on going problem of street traders selling counterfeit DVDs in the town centre.
The traders are now being investigated by Trading Standards after some were arrested and taken to Harrow Police Station for questioning aided by Chinese speaking interpreters. Three of these traders will be today appearing before Harrow Magistrates Court.
Last week (28th September 2006), Mei He (31) of an unknown address in Colindale, was remanded in custody awaiting sentencing in mid October 2006. Mei He had been spotted on a bus by Harrow CCTV operators after she was seen selling DVDs in St Anns Road earlier in the day. The Police were able to stop the bus and arrested her.
Her case was investigated by the Trading Standards Service. She had been caught by Trading Standards selling counterfeit DVDs in Harrow Town Centre on at least four occasions since she last appeared in Court for identical offences in February 2006 when she received a Conditional Discharge.
Speaking after the operation, John Taylor, Director of the Trading Standards Service said “My Officers are continually taking enforcement action against these traders who seem to persist in breaking the law with regular patrols and umpteen seizures of DVDs. We are hoping Anti Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) can be used to stop these traders from continually returning to sell DVDS.”
Sergeant Ian Walker of Greenhill Safer Neighbourhood Team which covers Harrow Town Centre said “This sort of partnership working is great because it pulls together the best resources available to tackle this problem. However, I urge members of the public not to buy the illegal DVDs from these street traders. Not only are they bad quality and poor value for money, if the traders do not sell any DVDs, they won’t keep returning”.
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3rd October 2006
Film pirate caught on film
A Glasgow man who was caught twice by Trading Standards with illegal DVDs at Ayr Sunday Market pled guilty to charges at Ayr sheriff Court last week and was sentenced to 2 years and 10 months imprisonment.
Following a 4-week surveillance operation by South Ayrshire Trading Standards, Donald Daisley was caught in a joint Trading Standards and Strathclyde Police raid as he arrived at the market in November 2003. In the boot of his vehicle officers discovered over 1800 disks, including the latest blockbusters and Celtic Football Club DVDs.
Daisley had been caught on a previous occasion several months earlier along with an associate at Ayr Sunday Market supplying illegal DVDs. Trading Standards Chiefs then ordered surveillance on him to identify other associates as the method of operation involved using young girls as runners between an associate taking orders from the public and the supply by Daisley from stock hidden in a vehicle.Daisley was due for jury trial in 2005 but failed to appear and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was discovered in Glasgow in July 2006 and was arrested by Police and held awaiting trial for the offences relating to 2003. He subsequently pled guilty to four charges for being in possession of counterfeit DVDs outside Ayr Sunday Market and for previously failing to turn up for his trial and was sentenced to 34 months imprisonment.
Photo: Donald Daisley at his hidden vehicle with one of the teenage ‘runners.’
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3rd October 2006
KENT MAN ARRESTED FOR DVD PIRACYCARAVAN PARK WAS BASE FOR MANUFACTURING
A partnership effort has led to the arrest of a man on suspicion of producing counterfeit DVD’s.Working with FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft) the Kent Police Island Neighbourhood Team executed a warrant at a caravan park in Plough Lane, Minster on Friday (29 September). The officers seized 14 DVD burners, a colour printer along with 20 boxes of DVD cases, blank DVDs and a large quantity of DVDs ready for sale.It is thought that equipment and materials seized are capable of being used to produce over 1,000 illegal DVDs a day.
A 34-year-old local man was arrested on suspicion of producing counterfeit DVD’s and he has been bailed to Sittingbourne police station pending further enquiries.
Raymond Leinster, FACT Director General, said “Film piracy across the UK is a crime that is attracting those who wish to pursue a criminal lifestyle and make substantial profits from their illegal activities. We would like to thank Kent Police for their continued endeavours to target those engaged in such activities.”
Sgt Neil Kimber "We will attempt to promote a feeling of protection to local retailers of the Isle of Sheppey. The illegal sales of counterfeit goods have financial implications for those who are trying to make an honest living. People engaged in these counterfeiting offences quite often do not realise that all the offences carry a sentence of 10 years imprisonment.
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5th October 2006
FACT APPOINTS NEW DIRECTOR GENERAL
The Federation Against Copyright Theft (‘FACT’) is delighted to announce the appointment of Kieron Sharp as its new Director General. Kieron takes up his post on 6th November 2006.Kieron comes to FACT with a strong background in law enforcement, latterly as Head of Specialist Crime Operations at the City of London Police Service, a role which holds responsibility for Major Crime Investigations, Surveillance Operations, Intelligence, Special Branch, Criminal Justice, Forensic Support, Crime Policy and Training, Crime Recording and the Home Office Major Incident System at the City of London Police.
Detective Chief Superintendent Sharp has thirty years service, having started in the Metropolitan Police Service, and transferring to the City on promotion to Detective Sergeant in 1988. Although the majority of his career has been as a detective, he has worked in all areas of criminal investigation from general crime through murder enquiries and other major incidents to fraud and covert operations.
Between 1995 and1999, Mr Sharp was seconded to Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France where he was Head of the Economic Crime Department and he is also a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) national academy in Quantico, Virginia.
Brian Robertson, FACT Chairman commented, “I am delighted that Kieron has chosen FACT as the next stepping stone in his distinguished career. FACT as an organisation has developed immeasurably in the past two years and it is to the credit of Raymond Leinster and the efforts of all his team that we have been able to attract a replacement of Kieron’s calibre and experience.
The whole organisation looks forward to welcoming Kieron and wishes Raymond every success in the future.”
Kieron Sharp added, “I am very much looking forward to joining FACT - an organisation which has gained a reputation for being dynamic and progressive. I hope that the knowledge and experience I bring from all aspects of my police career can ensure that FACT continues to be very much at the forefront of the fight against piracy.”
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12th October 2006
FILM MINISTER LAUNCHES UK FILM INDUSTRY FILM THEFT PREVENTION TOOLKIT
Photo: Shaun Woodward (L) with Brian Robertson
Film Minister Shaun Woodward today launched a major initiative in the fight against film theft at an event hosted by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) and the Film Distributors’ Association (‘FDA’) in London.
The initiative ( ‘the toolkit’) combines two key elements to assist those working in the theatrical and distribution sectors and is specifically aimed at protecting film prints and preventing camcording.
Over 90% of pirate DVDs and illegal downloads originate from camcording in cinemas and FACT can now evidence a number of films that have been camcorded in the UK for global distribution by organised criminal networks. With cross industry support, the FACT Best Practice Guide To Prevent Camcording has now been distributed to UK cinemas and is a training and information tool for use by all staff in how to prevent and detect possible camcording. There is also information aimed at police, informing and advising them on how to deal with a suspected camcording incident.
The UK Film Print and Digital Media Management Protocol offers a detailed set of procedures and benchmarks for the secure, efficient handling of film prints at every stage of the UK theatrical lifecycle. This document was prepared in consultation with a wide-ranging task force and is available for reference by all companies, suppliers and service providers in the industry. The document can be downloaded from http://www.launchingfilms.com/piracy/printprotocol.html
Shaun Woodward said,"Film piracy is a crime. Pure and simple. And like any other crime we all have a duty to help stamp it out.
This initiative will help those who are best placed to tackle it take swift and decisive action.
It is consistent with the Government's aim of helping build a film industry that is sustainable, stable and successful.
That's why we’ve brought together government agencies, industry and enforcement in a collaborative approach, in the form of the Intellectual Property Crime Group, to share expertise to prevent and disrupt the growing threat from counterfeiting across a broad range of industries.”
Brian Robertson, FACT Chairman, added, “The clear purpose of the toolkit is to make it as hard as possible for film theft to originate from within the UK.
If you combine our theatrical and home entertainment sectors, we constitute the world’s second most valuable market for film, after the US. The retail value of these two sectors is close to £5 billion a year, and that’s not taking into account the wider economic and cultural benefits directly associated with film consumption.
The UK’s black market in film trafficking runs into many hundreds of millions of pounds a year. We have research suggesting that individual film releases lose up to £1.5 million from their cinema box-office because the titles are copied and distributed on pirate disks or via the internet.”
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16th October 2006
MULTI AGENCY SWOOP ON COUNTERFEIT FRAUDSTERS
Ten people were arrested in the early hours of yesterday morning following raids at addresses across North Wales, Cheshire and the Wirral. The arrests followed an operation to uncover rip-off merchants who claim benefits whilst making a living selling pirate DVDs to bargain hunters on Greenfield Market in Flintshire.
A multi-agency taskforce led by the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) investigated allegations of benefit fraud and other illegal activity in a joint operation codenamed ‘Buzzard’.DWP Shadow Economy Teams from Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales, combined forces with Trading Standards, HM Revenue & Customs and three police forces, resulting in thousands of counterfeit DVDs, CDs and computer games being seized with a monetary value of over £600,000.
The investigators also worked closely with organisations from the music, game and film industry including FACT investigators and FACT logistical assistance.Following the intelligence-led initiative, the ten were arrested under suspicion of being involved in the production and sale of counterfeit optical discs, and some of those arrested were also in receipt of benefits. Cash, drugs and cigarettes were also seized during the raids. Those arrested were taken to police stations in North Wales and Cheshire and are helping with further enquiries.
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17th October 2006
NINE ARRESTED IN NORTHERN IRELAND MARKET RAID
Nine people were arrested after police smashed a counterfeiting racket at a street market in Greysteel, Co Derry, on Sunday morning.Fake DVDs, CDs, cigarettes and cash with an estimated value of £100,000 were all seized during planned searches by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (‘PSNI’), assisted by FACT, BPI and other anti-piracy bodies. A number of vehicles were also taken in the raid, carried out by police from Limavady and organised crime unit officers.
Jim Angell, FACT Director of Operations added: “This is another successful example of good cooperation between PSNI and FACT in targeting film pirates operating in Northern Ireland. I would like to thank PSNI for their continued efforts in dealing with piracy and other associated criminality.”
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