NEW PAWNED PROPERTY LEGISLATION INTRODUCED

Today, the government introduced a bill to enhance crime prevention and detection by improving the speed and accuracy with which information is provided by pawnbrokers to police services.

The Pawned Property (Recording) Act addresses issues raised by the Saskatchewan police community regarding the current system for reporting information about pawned property.

In most Saskatchewan cities, information about pawned property is recorded on paper and periodically provided to the local police service. This bill creates a framework for the implementation of a computerized registration system to be used by pawnbrokers to report pawned property to local police services at the time of the transaction.

"Our police community has told us that this is an important tool for identifying and recovering stolen property," Justice Minister Eric Cline said. "We are committed to supporting their efforts while respecting the legitimate business needs of our pawnbroking community."

Under this bill, a pawnbroker will be required to obtain and record information about an item being pawned before accepting the goods and completing the transaction. That information will then be immediately registered with the police service by a secure computer transaction. As a result, stolen goods can be better identified and recovered.

This type of computerized registration system has been in use in Regina and Moose Jaw since 1999. When an item is pawned in these cities, information about the item is entered on a secure computer at the pawnshop and simultaneously transferred to the municipal police service in real time. The success of this project resulted in a request by the police community to create legislation for the implementation of the system throughout the province.

Saskatchewan is the first jurisdiction in Canada to introduce this type of legislation. Similar initiatives are being considered in the provinces of Alberta, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and British Columbia.

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For More Information, Contact:

Debi McEwen Justice Regina Phone: (306)787-6043 Email: dmcewen@justice.gov.sk.ca