Conwy Trading Standards Team Win ACG Award

Each year, ACG (The Anti-Counterfeiting Group) makes awards to trading standards officers and departments, police, customs and other enforcement organisations, for exceptional work in the fight against counterfeiting during the preceding year. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

ACG members nominate candidates in each category, and a panel of members then decides who should receive the awards. It’s 22 years since ACG introduced these awards to mark the implementation of the duty placed on local authorities to enforce the relevant provisions of the Trade Marks Act 1994. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Conwy’s Trading Standards Team were nominated for their work on the first case in Wales looking at a Fulfilment house. This case required the team to look at new ways of investigating criminal activity and required them to work with new partners. The case involved a married couple who had been receiving parcels, removing any indication of the country of origin and then shipping them on. The couple received numerous parcels from China and then sent them on to individuals in other countries, including Germany, France, Italy, within the UK and elsewhere. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The team identified a number of criminal breaches including: Trading Marks, Product Safety, Fraud and Money Laundering, and at the conclusion of the investigation ensured that gathered information was shared with relevant partner agencies. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Cllr Philip Evans, Conwy’s Cabinet Member for Regulatory Services said: “This Award shows that a small well-motivated team of professional and innovative officers working in partnership with other agencies can have a significant impact on ensuring the safety of its community whilst supporting a fair trading environment.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​