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Thieves target metal loads
Page 15
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CRIMINALS ARE increasingly targeting LGVs for high-value metal loads, particularly in the West Midlands, according to TruckPol.
The national intelligence unit for road-freight crime says LGVs carrying this sort of goods are typically stolen by force or deception, and claims around 11% of all truck-related crime last year was for metal goods such as copper and aluminium. This compares with 14% for electrical and 18% for household goods.
The unit says thefts of this type in the West Midlands often involve hijackings and are usually linked to organised gangs. It adds that the A34 near the M40, close to Bicester, as well as sites in Cambridgeshire and along the M6, are experiencing an overwhelming number of curtain-slashing incidents, while hijacks in Hampshire and Greater Manchester were traced to Merseyside-based criminals.