Leading the fight against crime
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After months of uncertainty, TruckPol has been granted a reprieve. The new man in charge, DC Alan Soames, joined the fight in the month that E954,000 worth of vehicles and Elm of loads were stolen.
Words: Joanna Bourke/images: Simon Everett
UNVEILED AS THE new TruckPol head in February, DC Alan Soames, who replaced the retired Andy Round, could be the man to help combat freight crime. He says his 13 years as a truck driver allows him to see issues from both sides of the fence.
Until June, TruckPol's parent, the Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS), was unclear whether it would get any Home Office funding. Soames is now working with £50,000 from the Home Office for TruckPol, or as the Road Haulage Association (RI-IA) describes it — "trying to run a very important unit on a shoestring budget" — until March 2010.
Gathering momentum
TruckPol has, however, been gaining support. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State responsible for crime reduction Alan Campbell called on the government in February to reinstate funding for the
"Campbell was impressed with what we do and recognised how important it is for HGV crime to be investigated. We can call him an ally now, and this is a
step closer to getting the government to put freight crime higher on the police agenda," says Soames.
In addition, pressure is coming from the RHA, which is writing to Campbell calling for the separation of truck crime from theft from passenger vehicles
Soames tells CM that increased intelligence collected from forces has led to some "big" arrests within freight crime gangs, although cases cannot be revealed as investigations are still ongoing. He says lorry crime is frequently carried out by small teams of specialist offenders, so any disruption to their activities can have beneficial effects on crime figures.
Freight crime in the six months to 30 June fell 18.9% on the same period in 2008, but TruckPol statistics also showed 4,171 lorry crimes were recorded last year; almost double the 2,284 in 2007 In the same month Soames joined the division, vehicles to the value of £954,000 were stolen as were loads worth more than LIm.
On-road experience
"I believe having HGV driver on my CV was one of the reasons I was of interest to my employer. I have been there and done that, so genuinely know what I'm talking about when speaking to hauliers," Soames says.
Prior to his new role, he was an officer with Suffolk Police (since 1998).
'As a police officer on general patrol, I was not aware of the depth of crime against the haulage industry until I took my new role. As a lorry driver in the 1980s and 1990s, I admit that, yes, diesel was stolen and, yes, attacks on drivers did happen, but not to today's extent. We generally parked up where we wanted. I never had any stowaways in my lorry and I never really saw [truck crime] as a huge problem, but that has now changed," Soames adds.
This year has already seen a lorry driver being threatened with a stungun by men impersonating VOSA staff, as they stole a load of copper wire. (`Taser
team pretended to he VOSA officials,' CM 19 March) highlighting the dangers to drivers on the road.
Resources The former head of AVCIS, DC Paul Lambotte, had wanted four officers dedicated to TruckPol, but the current £50,000 is only enough to finance Soames and TruckPol's administrator Helen Taylor.
"TruckPol is a national unit with a national remit, but is staffed by two people. I would like to offer a more proactive service, but this requires more people," he says.
He has devised a three-year plan (CM 13 August) to improve the organisation's profile and attract sponsorship. Current sponsors include DHL, TNT and Unipart, but Soames says: "We can always do with more stakeholders and support."
Raising awareness Truck Pol is also working with partners to gain strength and raise awareness. The division is involved in a three-year Europe-funded project with North Sea Freight Intelligent Transport Solutions (NS FRITS), which provides a live incab communications system detailing locations of truckstops and HGV crime hotspots across Europe. Closer to home, TruckPol is endorsing Haulnet, a Northampton-based telematics system giving secure parking details in the UK.
Secure parking is something Soames is aware there is a shortage of and says local authorities need to address this. He calls on operators to urge employees to use truckstops where possible and says this could help truckers to avoid thefts on lay-by-s.
Soames says he will keep working to convince the sector that on limited funds, the division really is doing its best to reduce truck crime. •
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