Should Boot Sales be closed down ?

[sensible]

Every weekend at boot sales situated around the West Midlands at sites such as Bassetts Pole, Hams Hall, Middleton and Kingsbury Road also at Huntington and Cannock there are people selling illegal DVD'S, cigarettes,tobbacco and drink.
They get away with it week in and week out despite the Police intervening now and then. As soon as the Police have gone they start up selling their inferior and illegal goods again.
In view of this and with the knowledge that the boot sale operators are involved or have full knowledge of these illegal activities is it not time that any boot sale that these crimes are being committed should be closed down for good.

[Brumsnumberone]

No, Many, Many more honest people legally sell there used goods and make some much needed extra money, what needs to be done is the people buying the rip off pirate goods first of all, and at the same time, the police, customs & excise & F.A.S.T. need to collaborate and work together in order to close these Spivs down for good.

A change in the Law would be a step in the right direction.

[Diane]

There are loads of these car-boots going on all over the city, some are large and some just consist of a couple of cars selling tat from their attics. It must be quite difficult for the police to keep tabs on all of these activities concurrently, and even with tip-offs doesn't necessarily mean they have the resources to monitor what goes on at these places.

I bet 90% are quite legit but like everything in life there's always a small minority - the bad core - who exploit it with dodgy gear that people won't mind buying because it's cheap even though they probably know its hot

[sensible]

If people buy dodgy gear knowing that it has been stolen then they should get the same penalty as the thieves when they get caught. Always remember that it could be items stolen from your home that could be "going cheap."
People who buy fake dvd's and other counterfeit goods should be fined along with the people selling them. If the buyers were fined also sales would stop overnight.
Everyone knows crooks who illegally sell these and other items such as cigarettes and drink so there should be an award scheme for anyone who reports these get rich quick villains.

[edthered]

When we lived in Brum we used to go to the Slough and cannot recall seeing dodgy gear being sold (dvd`s/cd`s) this was down to the organisers ,whilst at other boot sales esp the ones Diane mentioned it was a "pirates" haven.Maybe both the organisers and buying public need to understand that theft only puts up the price of legitimate dvd`s/cd`s and we all suffer.

[chubbychops]

It is well documented by enforcement agencies across the world that terroist organisations raise funds by selling counterfeit products. There is a price to pay for cheap pirated DVDs and it is a high one. It could mean that if you buy one you could be financing a future act of terror. Think about where your money is really going before you buy these rubbish items.
People caught selling trash like this should receive automatic jail sentences and have any assetts they have confiscated. People stupid enough to buy these items should be heavily fined.
Boot Sales that allow these items to be sold should be closed down. It is a well known fact that most boot sale operators take "back handers" from the crooks selling counterfeit products and pretend they didn't know when questioned by the police.