National Award for local Trading Standards Investigator

13th August 2019

An officer in the Highland Council's Trading Standards team has won a UK award for her work on anti-counterfeiting and protecting consumers. Lynn Foster was presented with the Dave Hankinson Memorial Award for Individual Excellence by Phil Lewis, Director General of the Anti-Counterfeiting Group (ACG). The ACG is an international association respected as one of the world's leading specialists in the fight against the growing global trade in counterfeit goods.

Lynn is the intellectual property expert for Highland and a leading light in the field across Scotland and the UK. In addition to many successful prosecutions, she has developed various ground-breaking and effective approaches, including using quick and efficient civil law processes and creating a range of strong partnerships with other agencies. Other activities include taking a leading role in the fight against online sales of fake goods, mentoring officers in other authorities and organising local events to inform and educate the public on the harms of buying fakes.

Cases dealt with in Highland have involved a very wide range of products, from branded clothing and footwear to jewellery and DVDs. Many counterfeits also pose a safety hazard, in particular electrical products, chargers, car parts, medicines, perfumes, alcohol and tobacco.

Councillor Alister Mackinnon, Chair of the Council’s Corporate Resources Committee, said: "I’m delighted to see Lynn receive national recognition for her excellent work. Her dedication and innovative approach has been instrumental in the successes Trading Standards have had tackling counterfeiting in Highland and across Scotland."

"Sales of fake goods cheat buyers, threaten legitimate local businesses through unfair competition and fund organised crime, and we are determined to stamp out this criminal activity in the Highlands".

Phil Lewis, ACG Director General, commented: “Lynn epitomises everything the ACG Awards for Excellence in Anti-Counterfeiting Enforcement are about. She dedicates herself to following the ideals of the Highland Council which are simply to take action to support and protect children, families, communities, older people, the economy and the environment. People like Lynn, and the rest of the Trading Standards authorities, are precious resources and ACG will continue to knock on the door of Government to remind them of the need to support you as an essential resource in the fight against illicit trade and intellectual property crime.”

“This ACG award is a token of our members’ appreciation and gratitude for all you do for business, the economy and our communities.”

Pictured presenting Lynn with her award are L to R - Cllr MacKinnon, ACG Director General Phil Lewis and the Council's CEX Donna Manson