Cracking down on freight crime

In a bid to tackle freight crime, which costs an estimated £1 billion per year to the UK economy, TRACKER has joined forces with TruckPol, part of the national Association of Chief Police Officers’ Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS). TRACKER, has equipped AVCIS vehicles with tracking units to help locate and recover large goods vehicles and their loads, which has a significant economic and logistical impact on manufacturers, operators and retailers alike.

TruckPol is a national intelligence unit which collates and disseminates statistical data and intelligence on road freight crime in the UK, for the ACPO Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service. As a public/private sector partnership, TruckPol is supported by the Home Office, ACPO and industry stakeholders from haulage, insurance, security and manufacturing. This partnership is crucial in sharing information to deliver solutions to minimise opportunities for criminals to target businesses and drive down road freight crime.

“TruckPol’s data shows that theft of Large Goods Vehicles (LGV) was up 61% in 2008, compared to 2007, while thefts of loads from a parked LGV are up a staggering 108%,” explains Stuart Chapman, Police Liaison Officer at TRACKER. “The current economic climate is pushing up the level of freight crime, which in turn puts increased pressure on businesses as they struggle to get through the recession. We are delighted to be working closely with TruckPol, which is an extension of our ongoing partnership with the UK’s 52 police forces, nationwide.”

TRACKER stolen vehicle recovery systems work like an electronic homing device and currently help to recover an average of £2million worth of stolen vehicles each month. The system places a covert transmitter on the owner’s vehicle, providing no visible evidence for the thief to suspect any security device. When a vehicle is stolen, the owner reports the theft to TRACKER HQ as well as the police and the transmitter is activated to emit a silent radio signal. The silent signal can now be traced by any UK police force, directing them to the exact location of the stolen vehicle.

DC Alan Soames of TruckPol, comments, “Freight theft is a growing crime, with 5% of all freight crime made up of violent offences and recorded as robberies. Stolen LGVs were up from 1,176 in 2007, to 1,895 in 2008 and thefts from parked LGVs more than doubled to 1,362 in 2008. The loss of freight vehicles and their contents has a severe impact on businesses, retailers and manufacturers. By working with TRACKER we can enhance the quality of our data and intelligence, closing the net on the criminals.”