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Police report highlights impact of freight crime – updated

[ January 25, 2023   //   ]

Transport insurer TT Club has helped the Police’s National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) write a Problem Profile on freight crime, which aims to obtain increased public funding to address the situation.

The report details types of crime, methodologies, locational analysis and the direct and indirect costs of freight crime to cargo owners and the economy overall.  It also makes recommendations on how such crimes can be combatted.

It estimates the value of losses across England and Wales at £66.6 million in 2022.  There were 4,995 HGV and cargo crime notifications received last year (with data on reports still coming in) and NaVCIS Freight participated in 284 arrests and supportedg a further 43 operations involving this type of crime.  The unit has helped the indirect cost to the national economy from an estimated £700 million in 2019 to £428 million in 2021.

However, said TT Club’s managing director for loss prevention, Mike Yarwood: “This is still an alarmingly high level of loss despite the excellent work of the NaVCIS unit. Recognition by the UK Government of the need for action to combat such crime is welcomed and we are hopeful that the NaVCIS Freight Crime problem profile will instil some urgency into such action and elicit financial support. 

“In the meantime, the unit relies entirely on funding from industry including the insurance community. TT urges entities that don’t yet support NaVCIS Freight to proffer their support as we do ourselves.”

The report found that freight crime is committed by organised crime groups (OCGs), prepared to travel hundreds of miles; and who are highly skilled, determined and mobile, aware of police tactics.

It is also a low risk and high reward crime, far down police priorities due to available resources.

The crimes cause disruption and delay, impacting the viability of companies, retention of staff, and investment in the UK.

The lack of a central crime category means that it is largely hidden, there are only lenient criminal justice outcomes following prosecutions and it is low priority for action by government.

Freight crime is also encouraged by a lack of investment in, for example, secure truck parking.

There is also a direct public health risk from stolen medicines and foodstuffs.

Head of unit at NaVCIS, DCI Brett Mallon, added: “Our report contains wide-ranging recommendations in order to rectify, or at least reduce the effects of what we believe is a damaging situation at all levels – to individuals, consumers, retail and manufacturing sectors, logistics and transport companies, insurers and the national economy as a whole.  We have put forward this advice to Government by way of this report.

“Investment in, and legislation surrounding secure parking is not the least of these. There are law enforcement and policing reforms regarding freight crime that are also urgently required and, of course through the recognition of the seriousness of the issue, a significant increase in resources as well.”

Recently, NaVCIS’ Operation Luminary involved 18 months work as a result of which three criminals were jailed for a range of offences related to the theft of lorries and trailers containing cargo to the value of over a million pounds. The criminals used advanced technology such as scanners, key cloning equipment and tracker radios to trace vehicles and block communication signals.  With NaVCIS’ help further successful prosecutions are anticipated surrounding serious freight offences across the country.

Supply chain intelligence company BSI said meanwhile that food and beverages topped supply chain thefts in 2022 in its annual Supply Chain Risk Insights Report.

It also observed that thefts from hijacking have fallen as a proportion of cargo theft from 24.4% to 17.0% and are now second to theft from facilities, which now account for 26% of total thefts.

The proportion of automotive and fuel thefts is also rising, whereas the proportion of electronics, agriculture and construction theft has fallen.

It added that while hijacking has also fallen as a proportion of cargo theft, it continues to exert a real impact on global supply chains – with food, pharmaceuticals and construction materials most affected.

https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/news/trio-jailed-after-bmws-lorries-and-trailers-stolen

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