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Protecting your business

10th November 2011
Page 38
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Page 38, 10th November 2011 — Protecting your business
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

An economic downturn and high diesel prices are two factors that push criminals towards targeting goods vehicles

Words: Chrys Rampley Theft from trucks is no new phenomenon. Films from the 1960s carry references to goods having ‘fallen off the back of a lorry’, but 21st century criminals have evolved their methods and hauliers and drivers must become equally smart to avoid falling foul of their schemes.

An increased rate of truck-related crime carries with it obvious penalties for the operator, including potentially higher insurance premiums and non-payment from upset customers, but more importantly, the safety of drivers is also at stake.

Unreliable data

Although the absence of a consistent approach to data collection makes it dificult to quantify how much road freight crime costs the UK each year, reported thefts from vehicles rose by 46.7% for the second quarter from April to June 2011 to 295 incidents excluding fuel theft. With this included, the igures show a rise of 293.5%, while theft of vehicles fell by 13.6% to 318 incidents, according to the latest police igures. As always, there are claims that such increases are due to “improved reporting” , which has been shown by the growth in fuel theft reports since TruckPol started recording all incidents, but there remains an underlying trend towards rising numbers of incidents.

Increasingly, criminals are using more sophisticated methods to target and steal goods from trucks. To counter this, security companies and logistics groups are developing better methods to protect their assets. Door locks, tracking systems, direct police access, electric fences, surveillance cameras and manned guarding have all had an impact on the protection of drivers, vehicles, premises and cargo. But unfortunately, one area of security continues to be woefully overlooked – information security.

Put simply, information security is any method or procedure that protects information from unauthorised access either by criminals or persons with no bona ide reason to know it, which includes employees. Using PIN numbers and locking cabinets and not telling drivers what they are carrying is a good start, but information is more than what is written down, it is what is known. Criminal gangs are not breaking into transport ofices in the dead of night and picking the locks on cabinets or hacking into computers. They are watching, listening and talking.

Many employees have vices, habits and weaknesses that leave them vulnerable to leverage from an outside party. A member of staff who might feel slighted, unappreciated or overlooked for promotion can sometimes become a threat to the security of the organisation. People bearing a grudge or seeking retribution will sometimes act against the irm’s and even their own best interests.

Criminals will target individuals if they believe they have access to the information they need, or are able to get them access. This was evident in a recent robbery at a secure cash location in Kent, where the manager was forced to allow the criminals access. The use of violence and threats to family and livelihood are all methods that can induce fear in the target and persuade them to help criminals.

Careless talk...

People talk, it is a fact of life. Unfortunately, other people listen and remember. People trust the telephone, especially if the person on the other end seems to know the right things to say and the right names to mention. This technique has been used to great effect in recent diversion thefts in London.

Any physical security processes that are put in place should take into consideration the possible weaknesses posed by the human aspect. The Road Haulage Association (RHA) offers training and an audit service to help businesses address these issues.

We now hear of hijacks or attempted hijacks at least once a week. Traditionally, criminal gangs would try to attack the vehicle when it was parked or stopped, but newer, more sophisticated tracking and immobilising systems force them to take other types of action, such as imitating the police, or creating a roadblock and pretend ing to be VOSA oficers. Thieves will employ a number of methods including ‘staged’ accidents and tricking drivers with the pretext that their trailer doors are open or that the trailer plate has fallen off.

Driver training is an important aid in avoiding crime, by making drivers more aware of bogus stops and advising how to look for the tell-tale signs of a possible hijack with an appropriate course of action if brought to a halt by those claiming to be oficials.

From TVs to nappies

Theft of goods from vehicles does not just centre on high-value electrical goods such as lat screen television and computer equipment. With raw material prices soaring, copper and other metals are sought out. Lowvalue household commodities are also popular with thieves. Disposable nappies and razor blades remain favourites. They will always be in demand so thieves can make a quick sale.

Some of the most popular stolen goods in the past quarter have consisted of vehicle parts, particularly batteries and catalytic converters. There has also been an increase in organised criminal groups speciically targeting hauliers that transport tobacco. Electrical goods have also proved popular targets and other goods regularly taken include full loads of tyres – car, goods vehicle and tractor tyres in the past year. Current hot spot areas are South Yorkshire, Essex and West Yorkshire, in particular postcodes DN and WF.

Truck theft does not usually affect the general public, who perhaps see things ‘falling off the back of a lorry’ as no great problem, unaware that a driver may have been violently assaulted in the process. The lack of secure facilities means that drivers and their loads are at greater risk of being attacked, as high-value loads have to be parked at the roadside.

Parking problems

The RHA is in continuing talks over the problems of truck parking with the Department for Transport (DfT), both with oficials and with ministers. Progress has been slow, but the DfT is producing a comprehensive truck parking report due to be launched this autumn. It is also taking forward the European LABEL project for auditing sites across the UK. There are no easy, quick-ix solutions but the report points to clear and speciic commitments to progress. Creating the report for lorry parking is the irst step towards a long-term solution. It is important that such services have support on a national level that helps create an environment that reduces the current barriers hampering development, inancial stability and adequate standards. We hope the plan can be realistically and practically delivered – only time will tell. Whatever the outcome of this report, road freight crime clearly needs to be put on the government agenda. ■

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Locations: London

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