News / No let up in road freight crime – €2.6m in goods stolen every 24 hours

ID 57778122 © Welcomia

The latest road freight crime statistics do nothing to diminish “the scale of challenge”  to stakeholders, delegates at the Aviation Connect conference in Copenhagen heard this week.  

“Crisis is nothing new,” said Markus Prinz, senior manager for standards, training, and certification at TAPA EMEA (Transported Asset Protection Association – Europe, Middle East & Africa) . 

“Each and every type of product in the supply chain is at risk,” he said.  

“When I started, it was consumer electronics, like mobile phones, but now we are also talking about food and drinks, tobacco, household applications, clothing and footwear, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, jewellery and precious metals, toys, games, bicycles or cash in transit.” 

Mr Prinz also noted that even trucks with no loads were often stolen for resale, adding: “Cargo thieves are opportunistic. If it moves in the supply chain, it is a potential target.” 

According to TAPA’s latest data for EMEA, in the three years to 30 September, there were 24,127 reported road freight theft incidents: 16,760 of theft from a vehicle; 1,926 of theft of a vehicle; 2,930 trailer thefts; and 2,071 incidents of theft from a trailer.  

“That’s an enormous number, and it highlights the scale of challenge we are facing,” said Mr Prinz. 

Across the period, €2,681,987-worth of goods were stolen, on average, every 24 hours; and for the biggest incidents, those involving a value of more than €100,000, the average loss was nearly €2m. 

“This isn’t just about theft, this is about constant disruption, this is about financial loss, this is about a vision of trusting supply chains,” he added. “And remember, these are only the reported figures. The real impact could be even higher. Cargo crime is happening every day at a massive scale.” 

TAPA’s statistics found that Germany accounted for the largest number of incidents, followed by the UK, Italy, France and Spain.                                                    

The majority of cargo crimes, the company reiterated, happen when goods are left in vehicles often parked in unsecured locations. It noted that across the EMEA region there were still only some 2,000 “secure” parking spots – half the required 4,000. 

Mr Prinz added: “These attacks range from insider involvement to organised crime groups employing sophisticated methods. So, we are talking about physical attacks on vehicles, road blocks to intercept trucks carrying high-value loads, breaking into facilities overnight or at weekends, these are currently the main issues of the industry.” 

He urged: “This is why comprehensive security measures, and, from my point of view, our TAPA standards are so essential in the meantime to protect at every stage. 

“Organisations must adopt robust security measures and remain vigilant in evolving threats.”