Theft hits one in five firms
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• More than £50m worth of lorries were stolen last year, according to figures from the Freight Transport Association and police this week. And only one in nine are ever recovered.
The FTA's Vehicle, Load and Plant Theft survey puts the overall cost to operators at around £80m, and one in five companies says it has suffered some form of theft in the last six months.
The FTA findings—the first such study for three years— polled 900 companies across the UK, from owner-operators to large fleets.
Worst affected by thefts were one to five vehicle operators and 30% of respondents say a theft causes a major disruption.
The survey also showed the fear of theft was worst in the South-east closely followed by the Midlands, North-west, Wales and Northern Ireland. The West and South-west were deemed the safest.
It reveals the UK has the highest rate of vehicle theft (26% of all crime) in Europe. Tippers account for more than 30% of lorry theft, and Bedfords are the most stolen marque.
More than half of thefts are from the operator's yard and most are stolen for parts bound for Turkey, Singapore, South Africa and the Far East Announcing the results, the Met's DCI Steve Lovelock says 38 arrests have been made in recent months for lorry theft.