Merseyside Police has arrested a man and seized suspected counterfeit clothing with a retail value of approximately £80,000 after officers visited a shop in Liverpool city centre.
In partnership with representatives from Liverpool City Council’s Trading Standards team, officers paid a visit to the store on Wednesday 9 April and seized a large quantity of clothes and trainers.
It’s suspected that the items, which had Adidas, Nike and The North Face logos attached to them, were counterfeit and being sold to the public as legitimate products. Officers also seized cash at the premises that is believed to have been made from selling the products.
A 69-year-old man from Manchester has been arrested on suspicion of:
• Acquiring/using/possessing criminal property
• Three counts of applying to goods/packaging a sign identical to/likely to be mistaken for a registered trade mark
He has been bailed pending further inquiries.
City centre Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant Richard Clare said: “This arrest forms part of our ongoing work in the city centre aimed at disrupting criminal activity.
“Along with our partners at Trading Standards at the council, we are committed to protecting the public from poor quality or unsafe goods which put consumers at risk and threatens legitimate businesses.
“While they might look like the real thing, counterfeit clothing is usually made from poor quality materials and may be easily flammable or otherwise unsafe.
“We’ll continue to work with partners to drive this work forward and make Liverpool a safer place.”
Cllr Laura Robertson-Collins, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Neighbourhoods and Streetscene added: “It is important that everyone is vigilant when it comes to counterfeit goods – we all like a bargain, but counterfeit clothing is poor quality, potentially unsafe and is often linked with the funding of illegal activities.
“It’s great to see our Trading Standards team work in partnership with Merseyside Police to crackdown on the sale of these goods to protect consumers. I hope this sends out a strong message to all retailers that we will not tolerate the sale of counterfeit products in our city and are not afraid to take swift and serious action.”
