The latest report from TT Club shows dramatic year-on-year increases in freight crime in Chile with incidents of theft estimated at 27% up on pre-pandemic levels.
The report notes that pandemic-induced measures such as quarantine, restrictions in movements and curfews had the effect of reducing the incidence of cargo theft for much of 2020 and 2021. But in 2022, with limitations lifted, levels of crime sprung back with vengeance.
“The underlying factors that seem prevalent in explaining the alarming statistics seem to be predominantly social and economic in nature,” said Mike Yarwood, TT’s managing director of loss prevention,
“Inflation, increases in the cost of living and social unrest have motivated individuals to turn to crime. These circumstances, which also encourage a larger black market, particularly in foodstuffs, instil heightened criminality in the population.”
Crime prevention
TT Club’s extensive report ‘Freight crime in Chilean supply chains’, has been produced in conjunction with BSI SCREEN, the Logistics Association of Chile (ALOG) and the crime investigation unit, Signum Services.
It found that criminal organisations that are behind much of the theft have exploited to a greater degree than in the past those employed in the supply chain, to provide valuable data and information on cargo flows, nature of loads and an ability to falsify delivery instructions.
Labour strikes, also common in a recession, create pinch points in the usual smooth flow of goods, with such locations become a focal point for crime.
The reported statistics show that second to hijacking as a mode of theft (57%), is the combined activity of stealing from a facility or of a vehicle itself, when cargo is at rest, contributing to 32% of all incidents.
TT and its co-authors are keen to offer guidance on how such theft risks can be alleviated with advice, in particular on combatting the criminal device of fictious pick-ups.
The report contains a long list of measures from secure verification procedures and driver ID checking, to staff training in identifying suspicious circumstances and monitoring through tracking technology, to ensure shipments are being delivered correctly.
