The average age of the Dutch fencer is 33 years. Men most often turn to fencing for economic reasons; women become involved usually because a family member is already a fence. Dutch fencing operations tend to remain within ethnic groups and can be found amongst students, addicts, the employed, and the unemployed. Incarcerated fences agree that check and credit card forgery are the first step in a fencing criminal career. Fencers who deal in goods either sell to stores or sell by themselves in unofficial marketplaces. Although most Dutch police have no budget for specialized fencing operations, they know most big time fences will never be caught, and they know where fenced goods can be found. Insurance companies are only concerned with locating the goods and may even offer a 10 percent finder's fee. As fencing operations usually do not have any visible casualties, seldom induce public outcry, and have a low priority in police operations, fencing is a difficult crime to control in the Netherlands. Computerized stolen goods reports, personal effects marking and registration, and a media campaign are suggested ways to curtail Dutch fencing operations. 6 references.