CTSI Conference 2016 - Mini theatres In this feature toy safety estate agents open-source data CONFERENCE 2016 The mini theatre sessions proved popular throughout the week Playtime to property Mini theatres ran across all four days of CTSI Conference this year, with many full to the brim. Maeve Sinnott gives us a taster of three Enforcing toy safety Enforcing toy safety Wendy Phillips, an adviser from the British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA), presented a session on the Toy Safety Directive that was aimed at giving practical tips and information to trading standards ofcers. Phillips outlined the rapidly growing legislation in the eld. In 1970, there was one British standard with 16 pages to comply with. In 2010, this had climbed to 28 standards with 1,692 pages, while more than 2,600 pages of legislation existed in 2013. The law changes rapidly too: 65 amendments have been made so far in 2016. The legislation is hard to keep up with and only affects compliant companies. So how do you spot the non-compliant ones? Phillips acknowledged the limited resources of the trading standards sector, but advocated a number of actions. Being aware of the different economic operator roles and their legal responsibilities is key. Importers, representatives, distributors and retailers all have different obligations when it comes to the information they must make available and ensuring products have the correct markings. These roles can vary, depending on the business chain for a particular toy. Argos, for example, holds many roles. For its own brand, Chad Valley, it acts as the manufacturer; for the European brand Playskool, it acts as the distributor; and for a non-EU companys product, it acts as the importer. Phillips ran through the importance of traceability and the legal obligations for each economic operator, such as those surrounding technical les. Cost-effective ways of enforcement from a desk, for example lie in online searching. Phillips reported that the information in annex ve of the directive means that toy warnings must be included for purchases online. Websites selling toys need to have warnings such as minimum age of use, or that adult supervision is required before the point of sale. If it doesnt, the website is not legally compliant, and this could be a lead to nding further non-compliance. Challenges posed by clearing houses and new toy fads crazes were also touched on, with harmonised standards not necessarily covering the risks of toys with new technologies. To avoid this gap in standards, Phillips explained, manufacturers must complete a safety assessment that looks for any potential hazards in a new toy and not just tick it off against the legislation. The hoverboards crisis was mentioned, but with a positive note: the awareness created by the frenzied trend meant that the BTHA received more phone calls from companies and consumers to ask how to get products safely onto the market, or how to purchase safe items. Guidance is available on the BTHA website, and Phillips emphasised that the organisation is there to offer help, as well as provide training and support enforcement. Using open-source data in investigations National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team Click each icon to the left to continue reading Credits Maeve Sinnott is a junior reporter for To share this page, in the toolbar click on You might also like Cyber sleuthing August 2015 TS Today. Image: Sam Atkins Using open-source data in investigations In a fast-paced session, Neil Cole from GB Group showed a packed room how open-source data can be used in investigations to trace people and link up information. While the demonstration used Connexus a GB Group product Cole made it clear that there were other products with similar functions, and the session was a demonstration, not a sales pitch to ofcers. Using the examples of the footballer Alan Shearer and his own family, Cole demonstrated the ease with which you can search for emails, phone numbers, property ownership, family connections and mobile contract information, and determine cohabitants. The service relies on 68 million consented data records, laid on top of a 22-year electoral roll and landline records. GBG Connexus goes to 18 different data aggregators. Cole explained that much of the consented data is gained through people using sites such as Amazon, or price-comparison portals. Often, the condition is written into the terms and conditions, and it is not possible to use services without agreeing to data sharing. Cole reported one search for an individual and the attempt to nd locations in which she had been. The team searched for social media on Mothers Day and saw that the individual had tweeted to her mother whom they could then trace to the family home, and further investigate. Reverse-search functions are possible too, such as searching by postcode to nd all social media activity in that area over a certain period of time. Cole showed the power of this approach. He referred to the recent conict in Crimea; Russia denied entering the territory ofcially part of Ukraine but searches such as these, using a geographical lter, showed Russian social media proles active in the area, with some people posting seles with tanks in the background. One hook allows you to open up possibilities, Cole said. Tying one person to another person, to a business, to an internet identity, to a location, to a family home is the kind of quick connection that open-source data can provide. I think [the use of this] will just grow and grow and grow, said Cole. National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team The National Trading Standards (NTS) Estate Agency Team, hosted by Powys County Council, ran a mini-theatre session to talk about what it does, raise awareness of the fact they are there to help, and to launch an updated version of their toolkit. The team offers sector-specic advice and guidance, approves and monitors consumer redress schemes, issues sanctions such as prohibition orders or warning orders under the Estate Agents Act and maintains a public register of such orders. James Monroe, who leads the team, kicked off the session by giving details of the three property redress schemes in the UK. Estate agents must be registered with one of these, so consumers can take cases to the scheme for arbitration in case of unfair treatment. He said its easy to check up on this, because all registered estate agents will be listed on the websites if they are not, he advised challenging the business. Delegates heard how big the industry is it employs around 500,000 people and oversees 17bn worth of residential sales in 2015 and about some of its common problems. Monroe referred to the 2015 Ipsos MORI veracity index, which showed estate agents scored only around 25 per cent when it came to public trust. A Which? survey showed that only seven per cent of the public thought estate agents acted ethically, while only 12 per cent thought that they were well regulated. In 2015-16, 6,500 complaints were reported to the UK redress schemes. The Estate Agency Team offers a comprehensive compliance toolkit to help local trading standards ofcers with enforcement and consumer protection in the sector. Clear guidance is given on ways to assess the compliance of estate agencies, and the key industry requirements are outlined particularly surrounding the challenges in determining misleading omissions in estate agent messaging. Alan Conroy, from 187 Fleet Street chambers, presented several case studies, engaging delegates in some amusing examples of misleading information in property adverts. A former shermans cottage surrounded by greenery was revealed, from a different image not used by the estate agent, to be located beside a huge power station and a built-up environment. Conroy explained that the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) state that, if material information is withheld from a consumer, it is only misleading if it is information the consumer could not nd out anywhere else. Furthermore, the consumer is characterised as someone who shops around and looks for information. Conroy advised ofcers to be careful with this, and challenge it if possible, by showing that the consumer hasnt shopped around. The session ended with a guess the market price game for a London property which turned out to be an eight-gure sum and the winner received a bottle of champagne.