Police go undercover in fake clothes

Dec 26 2007 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

COUNTERFEIT clothes seized from illegal traders are being used by undercover police officers to blend in with criminals.

The unusual scheme has just started in Wirral after Trading Standards recorded a number of successful raids against traders selling fake designer gear.

It has been described as “poetic justice” and has already seen officers using the illegal clothes on operations and raids across the borough.

Chief Inspector Mick Blease said officers across Wirral are using the clothes, which helps them fit in better with areas and people they are targeting.

He said: “We work very closely with Trading Standards and whenever we have a major operation we look to get them involved. If we’re searching business premises, we ask them along to assist.

“Recently, we have also assisted them to do raids and have recovered thousands of pounds worth of counterfeit goods, including a lot of clothes.

“When we asked Trading Standards what happens to all that stuff after the judicial process is gone through, they told us it was destroyed.

“The idea was that we could possibly use it for plain-clothes officers on operations.

“The clothing they have seized is just the kind of clothing that is being worn by many of those we are investigating, and it allows our officers to blend in. Also, this is clothing that many of our officers do not possess.

“So we have come to this agreement.”

He said the officers have only just started using their first batch of seized clothing, which was confiscated by Trading Standards before Christmas, 2006, and has finally been released by the courts following prosecutions.

The clothes have so far been used by Wirral police’s Tactical Team which concentrates on “volume crime” including burglary and car crime, whose officers target particular suspects and specific areas.

It also means the police can save money on having to refund officers who use their own clothes when working undercover and it gets damaged.

Mr Blease said: “It’s been said before and I think it’s right – it’s poetic justice. Criminals are making a living out of selling counterfeit goods and we are using those goods to catch them in criminal acts.”

But he added: “People can rest assured it is only worn by officers when they are on operational duties – they will not be going out on the town wearing a fake Lacoste jumper or anything else we have been given.”

A Wirral Council spokesman said: "Trading Standards are happy to help plain-clothes police officers by providing them with forfeited counterfeit clothing for undercover work.

“It's poetic justice that illegally manufactured clothing plays a part in catching other criminals."

liammurphy