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New York, NY— The total number of crimes against the U.S. jewelry industry decreased from 1,538 in 2012 to 1,414 in 2013, a decrease of 8.1%, according to the Jewelers’ Security Alliance’s 2013 Annual Crime Report, released March 28. But total dollar losses rose from $60.2 million in 2012 to $66.5 million in 2013, or 10.5%, due to an increased number of million dollar and multi-million dollar crimes.

John Kennedy, president of JSA, said, “A relatively few large losses masked the continued great progress that the FBI and local law enforcement has made in helping to reduce jewelry crime in the United States. Last year saw the arrest of 422 criminals who attacked the jewelry industry, including smash and grab robbery gangs, home invasion gangs, murderers, and other violent criminals. The increased sharing of crime information by the diamond, jewelry and watch industry has played an important role in this progress.”

Robbery dollars increased significantly: a 23.1% increase over 2012. In both 2012 and 2013, California led as the state with the most jewelry robberies. Texas rose from number three in 2012 to number two in 2013; Florida remained number four both years. In 2013, New York replaced Pennsylvania in the top four; it came in third this year to Pennsylvania’s second last year. 38 states in total experienced an on-premises jewelry robbery, but 45.7% of all on-premises jewelry robberies occurred in one of the top four states. February was the most active month for robberies in 2013 and September the least; Monday and Wednesday the most active days for robberies, and Sunday the least.

Of the six victims who died during a jewelry crime in 2013, five were jewelers or relatives of a jeweler. One was a traveling salesperson.

71.2% of burglaries (thefts occurring while the store is not occupied, vs. a robbery, which occurs when the store is occupied) were “three-minute burglaries” of merchandise left in showcases overnight. But the biggest increase was in rooftop-entry burglaries, which increased by 89% from 18 nationwide in 2012 to 34 in 2013.

Mondays and Wednesdays are the most common for robberies, according to JSA's statistics. Opening and closing times both continue to be the most active times for robberies, with closing (between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m.) slightly more frequent than opening (between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m.) Chart: JSA

JSA’s published statistics don’t break down robberies by type of store (i.e. guild vs. chain), but Kennedy told The Centurion that robberies at very high-end stores often get more media attention.

Highlights from the report including the following: 

• On an inflation-adjusted basis, using 2013 dollars, the $66.5 million in losses for 2013—though higher than the previous year—represents a 60.3% decline since 2003. 
• Off-premises losses totaled 40 in 2013, the lowest in at least 30 years, and down from 68 in 2012. To put this in historical perspective, in 1999 there were 323 off-premises losses, eight times more than in 2013. 
• The number of burglaries in which criminals entered through the roof increased from 18 in 2012 to 34 in 2013, an increase of 89%. Rooftop burglaries increased from 5% of the total number of burglaries to 11%.
• In 2013 there were six homicides of jewelers in the U.S. compared to two in 2012. But from a historical perspective, from 1995 to 2000 the average number of yearly homicides of jewelers was 12, while in the early 1990s there were as many as 37 in a year.
• The most common location for off-premises crime was a residence, though the figures for 2013 (18%) were lower than for 2012 (26%). Still, residential jewelry crime was higher in 2013 than in 2011 (14%) where the most common location for off-premises crime was a parking lot. The good news is that JSA reported only three home invasions in 2013, compared with nine in 2012. Airport and tradeshow-related crime were the lowest incidences.

Kennedy said that the long-term trends demonstrate the strong progress that has been made. “Jewelers have become more knowledgeable and informed on security each year, but the need for constant vigilance by industry personnel will never go away.”

The full report is available here.

Top image: Sharilopatin.com