Let's Stop Buying Stolen Goods

Monitor Editor | Monday July 23, 2018 11:14

One of the encouraging factors for thieves to continue terrorising the public, by stealing their valuables, is the fact that they have a market for stolen goods.

Some members of the public still continue to shop around for a variety of items from thieves, knowing very well that they are buying stolen goods. While to them it may seem like a bargain, the fact still remains that their demand feeds into creating a lucrative market for thieves, who in turn ensure that they have items for their customers.

And what does this mean? The demand contributes to an increase in crime particularly house and car break-ins, theft and robberies etc. What is shocking is that these people who encourage thieves to continue terrorising citizens, often complain about the police’s ineffectiveness to curb crime. Is it possible that when they buy stolen goods from thieves, they are not mindful that they are fuelling the problem?

It is understandable that some people might find themselves having bought stolen goods unknowingly, because there is no law against one selling their second-hand items, hence the need for individuals to exercise a lot of caution when buying used items.Buying stolen goods, apart from being one of the factors that fuel crime, also has its dangers. Some thieves use violence on their victims, sometimes, even end up killing their victims.

Now, those in the habit might get into hot soup when the police end up tracing the stolen goods to them. There is a Setswana saying ‘legodu ke le le tshwerweng ka merwalo’, which loosely translates to mean a thief is the one caught in possession of stolen goods.

Many countries have had wrongful convictions, which were a result of buying stolen goods. Most thieves don’t value human life and will do anything including murder to rob victims of their valuables.

What if, you end up being caught with stolen goods where the victim was murdered? Those items of course are going to be used as evidence, and the person in possession of stolen goods might end up facing murder charges, while in actual fact they were nowhere near the area, but just decided to buy the stolen goods. Let us work with the police in their effort to curb crime and stop creating a market for thieves.