The Issue
There is a solution!
Trading Standards are working with the IPO and the Self Storage Industry Association UK (SSA UK) to encourage the highest standards and best practice across the industry. The Tick Box: Keep it Real Keep it Legal scheme helps self storage facilities to deter criminals from using their facilities.
The initiative is focused on facilitating stronger working relationships between self storage facility owners and their local Trading Standards service. By working together, businesses and Trading Standards can present a united force against criminal activity and can assist each other with information and support.
This partnership is in addition to existing enforcement activity undertaken by enforcement agency partners such as HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), UK Border Agency (UKBA) and the Police.
Space for hire
At various times in our lives we all need more space but we don’t necessarily want to own it. That’s when self storage facilities can really help. By offering cost-effective, easily accessible and flexible solutions for temporary and long-term storage, these units are an increasingly attractive option for individuals and businesses in the UK.
No room for crime
Unfortunately, the very benefits that self storage facilities offer, in terms of ease of rental and ready access, can make them attractive to criminals who want to operate ‘below the radar’ and store illicit goods, including counterfeit goods and unsafe consumer products.
Figures from enforcement agencies show that increasing quantities of counterfeit goods are being seized in, or en route to, self storage facilities. Good storage locations can make life easier for criminals to conduct their activities which harm communities and the economy. Storage facility owners or staff who are found to be turning a blind-eye to criminal activity can face serious consequences such as prosecution. Even if illegal activity takes place on the premises without the owner’s knowledge, it can lead to business disruption, negative media coverage and loss of reputation.