Truck theft is a problem but less attention is paid
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to the millions of pounds worth of loads which go missing each year. But that could change with the formation of a national scheme which aims to sniff out the stolen consignments. an Shaw reports.
Thefts of commercial vehicles and, more specifically, their loads, is big business to the criminal fraternity and costs the UK haulage industry some f55m annually. Put another way, that's almost Li for every man, woman and child in the UK. From the opportunist thief who will steal anything that represents easy pickings in a poorly secured vehicle, to the organised gangs who target specific loads and steal to order, it is a menace the industry cannot afford. Many gangs resort to hijacking and even kidnapping of drivers to achieve their aim.
The key to beating crime lies in intelligence: the intelligence gathered by the police. and the intelligence of hauliers and drivers to safeguard their loads as well as possible.
The Stolen Lorry Load Desk is an intelligence-gathering unit which holds a database of vehicle and load thefts, including warehouse thefts. "Essex is not a particularly bad area for vehicle and load theft," says PC lain McKinnon, who heads the desk. -But we have the Essex ports, Stansted airport, the Ai3 corridor with its extensive number of hauliers and the east side of London within our reach, so it's a busy area for commercial traffic. Therefore it seemed natural that Essex Police should take on the desk from the Metropolitan force who ran it originally."
McKinnon stresses that victims of truck crime should still contact their local police: the desk's function is to co-ordinate police resources.
Information
McKinnon explains the desk's role: "We gather information from insurers, loss adjusters and hauliers, on date, time and place of the theft, the nature of the load and the methods used in the theft.
"This first level of data can then be used to show trends and patterns, areas of the country which could be 'hot spots', types of load targeted and, of course, to identify the property which was stolen. This data can then be shared with the industry," he points out. "Naturally, a second level of data, on known thieves, etc is kept on a secure basis to be shared only by other police forces."
So how big is the problem nationwide? "It is very difficult to quantify, but I believe the Stolen Lorry Load Desk has about 90% accuracy," says McKinnon. "We take information from so many sources that we can come as close to a definitive figure as it's possible to. Although some thefts are still not reported, the problem costs the industry about ,L55fn annually. It's all about information, and I'd rather have the same piece of information from five different sources than not have it reported at all.
"This is a national scheme and with budget constraints it has become increasingly difficult for Essex Police to fund it alone," he adds. "How can you justify the cost to the council tax payer in Essex of investigating a truck theft in l.ancashire, for instance? For this reason we went into partnership with the industry to partly fund the system, and the support of the industry from insurers and operators has been excellent."
One such supporter is Royal and Sun Alliance, one of the UK's largest insurance companies, which says: "As the largest player in this market we have particular interest in any initiative which looks to lessen the impact of crime. The scheme is obviously great news for the police authorities and haulage companies, although the knock-on effect for insurance companies is that there may be a reducfion in the incidence of claims. This may result in premium reductions in the medium term, but whether this happens depends on other market factors."
With the insurance companies hedging their bets on the scheme's effectiveness, and despite much rhetoric of "bacIdng" from the Home Office, nobody there could tell us if this would translate into hard currency to fund the scheme. It appears that the onus is on the haulier to make it work in cooperation with the police. So, from the data and patterns that develop, what advice can the police offer hauliers?
-The old rules still apply," says PC McKinnon. "But many drivers ignore them. Parking in secure or well-lit areas at night and using anti-theft devices is one aspect, but the intelligence gathering of these gangs is sophisticated—so don't talk about your load or your route over breakfast. Organised gangs will collect information on a truck to attack it at a la ter stage where it might be an easier target, or establish its movements on a regular run."
He adds: "Hauliers can do more, too. I don't want to criticise agency drivers, they do an excellent job in an industry which is desperately short of experienced drivers, but the criminal element is well aware of this situation and infiltrating agencies is now something which happens all too frequently. Stolen or forged driving licences are used, and often this is the last the haulier sees of his truck or load. Agencies and hauliers need to be more vigilant against bogus drivers.
"Although sonic thefts could be seen simply opportunist, often curtains will be slashed and the load stolen no matter what it is." he warns. "Many thefts are targeted."
One such incident was the theft of a 44tonne step-frame special-types trailer from Huntingdon-based M J A Movements.
-This was a custom-built trailer for factory moves," says director Stuart Parrott. "Although it was not loaded at the time, it did have about f7,00o-worth of jacks and skates on it; all very specialised equipment The thieves knew what they were after and smashed the windows in a van and a rigid, before towing them out of the way to get at the trailer. Neither the trailer nor any of the equipment was ever recovered and it took five months before a replacement trailer was built. Although the insurance payout came after two months, ironically it was for a greater amount than the trailer's book value and we were taxed on it! The cost of the loss ran to f125 per week for the hire of a substitute trailer and operating difficulties as the equipment cannot be hired and order times for replacements are long.
Prevention
"We now have CCTV, which is monitored 365 days a year, and all the trailers are fitted with pin locks, while the tractive units and rigids have immobilisers which operate on three main systems," Parrott reports. "We receive regular information from the Stolen Lorry Load Desk, which we put on the noticeboard, and always report anything we feel may be suspicious.
"I'm sure the 'desk' is a good idea," he says, "but we look at prevention rather than cure and feel that the haulier needs to take greater measures to secure vehicles in the first instance. Unfortunately, it's about making the thieves go elsewhere to easier pickings."
So where does the answer lie? With continued restraints on police resources hauliers, as usual, must be largely self-reliant—but those who approach security in a casual manner are their OWn worst enemies.
• Information can be sent via e-mail to the Stolen Lorry Load Desk on: lorryloaddesk a essex.policcuk.