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Organised crime targets trucks across Europe
Page 6
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ONE IN SIX European truck drivers have been attacked in the past five years, according to a forthcoming study from the International Road Transport Union (IRU).
The figure, which the IRU describes as an "unfortunate leakage", appeared in a national newspaper last week. The IRUS Peter Krausz says the association is unable to comment on the report, which is a joint study with the European Conference of Ministers of Transport and will be officially published in December.
The perception of rising attacks and hijackings on truck drivers is notoriously difficult to quantify; Don Armour, the IRUS contact at the Freight Transport Association, says attacks on drivers are partly caused by a successful European economy. He adds: "There area lot of highvalue loads on the move and organised crime is definitely targeting trucks."
According to the IRU report, 32% of drivers attacked reported that gas sprays were used to incapacitate them.
It Is understood that the IRU has spent nearly two years putting the study together and that it sent researchers out to truck stops and transport cafes to interview drivers and get a full picture of what is happening.