Shift in cargo theft

The report, compiled by TT Club and BSI with input from the Transported Asset Protection Association’s (TAPA) Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region, shows a decrease in in-transit cargo thefts as the proportion of incidents at storage facilities rose to nearly 30% of overall thefts.

“Criminals are quick to adapt to prevailing conditions and have swiftly responded to the increased opportunities that supply chain congestion presents through the amount of cargo laying idle,” said Mike Yarwood, managing director, loss prevention at TT Club.

“In addition, the transport industry’s growing reliance on technology and a rapidly changing market for sourcing materials and components have opened up new avenues for criminals to take advantage of companies’ increased vulnerabilities,” he added.

Products most frequently involved in global cargo thefts last year included agricultural produce (12%), food and beverage (14%), construction materials (9%) and electronics (10%).

The report offers advice on how operators can protect their cargo. Tony Pelli, BSI’s practice director for security and resilience has produced a checklist of precautionary action points.

“To mitigate risk there are a range of safeguards, including careful verification of trucking companies and other sub-contractors, insisting on the provision of details such as driver’s name, trailer number and appointed pick-up times and background screening of employees,” he said.