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FRONT LINE
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Birmingham hauliers may be more aware than most of the rising crime wave, but they aren't taking it lying down. Tim Maughan reports.
A3.65m-high fence topped with razor wire is a daunting obstacle — but few anti-burglar measures are infallible. Despite this,the rear perimeter at the depot of West Bromwich-based Fullers & Sons (11-ansport), had one of its panels smashed through. Burglars entered the yard at nightstole palletised goods from a curtainsider.syphoned diesel and, to add insult to injury, even made off with a pair of jeans.
-I can't believe they took the driver's jeans," says a stoney-faced Graham Fuller, managing director. But he's used to nocturnal raids like these: "This road gets done regularly. Nine different businesses were broken into recently." When CM last visited Fullers, in 1999,a foundry stood at the rear of the yard. creating a natural bulwark. Now, with it demolished, there is an expanse of wasteland behind his base.
There are 18 trucks in the Fullers fleet: 11 artics, chiefly 44-tonners. and seven rigids. The firm's core business is warehousing, groupage and container handling. Since our visit to Fuller almost five years the company has become a member of the United Pallet Network, for which its HGVs carry out between 60 and 80 local drops a day. "The 111, rates arc better than general haulage,Fuller explains.
Stuart, his 28-year-old son pictured above with Graham. has left the world of IT recruitment and become development manager at the company. He says:" It's a big learning curve, and definitely a large jump from my last job. My role is to look at cost savings and to research new projects:' This strategic approach is only possible through creating a dedicated position. argues Graham. -People working a day-to-day operation do not have the time to think about things like these," he says.
Prudent operators plan ahead, yet none are immune from crime.After years of raids on his base, Graham decided it was time to fight back. "Our computers were stolen a few years ago, so we decided to put bars on the windows.We also hired a security guard with an Alsation. The problem was, the dog was too dangerous. It used to try and bite visitors to the yard!"
Ultimate deterrent
The canine sounds the ultimate deterrent —"a brilliant dog" enthuses Graham — but it had to go.These days. Fullers spends a hefty £500 a week on a security guard: the recent raid took place, though, on a rare weekend when Graham chose to dispense with such cover.
CCTV cameras are of little use, Stuart believes, owing to a woeful lack of deterrence: criminals are not punished sufficiently and treat the law with contempt."'They just way CCTV cameras," he says with a resigned air "We had two youths break into the yard steal a pallet of socks," says Graham. "They were caught,but we were only awarded VI compensation. In the end we only received one or two pounds."
With pathetic penalties like these, crimin will continue their "work". So the emphasis is on putting the burglar off before he strike "The best deterrent is having someone on site," confirms Stuart.
RB Transport has been at its current We Bromwich base for five years:The firm is ru by brothers Martin and Barry Rotton, boll firectors; their cousin Lyn deals with admin ind wages, and her husband Glyn is company ecretary. He holds the Dangerous Goods ;afety Advisor certificate. RB Transport perates 15 trucks.
Burglars have entered the premises, but inly once, explains director Martin Rotton. Our warehouse door was knocked in two tars ago. but our alarm system paid off. It has he maximum permitted decible level when :goes off you can feel your organs vibrate." The mighty wall of sound scared the intrudrs off, empty-handed. It's better, though, if the riminals don't enter in the first place, "When re came to look at the site! noticed that it ad wooden fencing; part of our condition of moving in was that palisade fencing was put up."
A 2.4m-tall fence was duly erected, at a cost of around £6,000. Security measures like this are vital for the likes of Rotton. "We had two trucks pinched from our old depot in Tipton. We were carrying full loads of office equipment and bespoke manufacturing at the time."
When objects like these go missing, customers tend to get a spot irate. "There can be customer retribution," warns Rotton.
Unlike Fullers,he believes that CCTV cameras are worth their weight in gold. "There are more than 12 of them either on or just off the site."
Clean, symmetrical linesresembling a prison are the best way to put the criminals off, thinks Rotton. He says:"Keep things simple. Remove temptation. You don't leave valuables in the passenger seat of your car, p put them in the boot.We make sure that all traction goes inside our warehouse for the night.
Working with neighbours
"You also need to work together with neighbours to protect each other's backs.A harmonious partnership is good for feedbacl I am aware that there is a lot of trouble with criminals in this area,so you have to get back to basics.A threadbare depot is best, and you need to be vigilant."
Out on the road,Rotton maintains his security measures. He says: "We try and ensure that high-value loads are tipped at night. If this is not possible then we make sure that we get secure parking." He describes overnight secure parking tariffs of £10-£12 as "farcical", but generally worth it.
Roy Ely, below, has 28 tractive units,125 skeletal, flatbed and tipper trailers and — like Graham Fuller and Martin Rotton — the unfortunate experience of criminals having entered his yard. His Nechells HQ is some 10 miles from West Bromwich. "We had a break-in in May of this year." reports Ely. "The burglars came in through some conifers behind the office, and stole some cab radios."
This spot was something of an Achilles heel in the Ely defences. It has been defended with a 7.6m-long palisade fence topped with shimmering razor wire, which cost £.1,000.
Elsewhere, the perimeter appears solid. There are two tiers of 3.35m-high entrance gates, and two moats immediately to the side of the depot. "There is a channel which carrie storm water from the city centre, and then a canal," confirms Ely.
"You've got to make it hard to get in, you must put obstacles in their way. You also need to have a tidy yardlliere can be a million ways to get into a depot so it is important to be able to detect people who have broken in."
With trucks,pumps, and other paraphernalia present in a yard,an element of clutter can be unavoidable. But the more clinical and ban the premises, the less shadows for the burglar to use as cover. "Keep the depot threadbare," suggests Martin Rotton, pictured left."Security is down to good housekeeping and remov ing any opportunity from the criminals." •