Frame serial numbers 'would deter thieves'

Practitioners who have been targeted by thieves over the past 12 months have called for all manufacturers of luxury frames to fall in line with companies such as Luxottica who label high-end products with serial numbers that can be traced back to their first purchasers.

Dispensing optician Hitesh Visavadia, owner of Optique 2020 opticians in Haverstock Hill and Swiss Cottage, backed calls for the introduction of traceable numbers. As reported in Optician, (News, June 27), Visavadia's Haverstock Hill practice had only just been refitted after a previous burglary on June 1 2008 when £25,000 of further damage was caused just 10 days later when approximately 16 pairs of sunglasses were stolen. A further 90 to 100 frames were broken by the thieves when forcing display racks.