The global economic downturn will lead to an increase in incidents of cargo crime in 2009, warns the Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA). The latest statistics from the association’s Incident Information Service (IIS) for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region show 3,756 reported incidents of cargo crime during 2008 with a total loss value of more than €170.6 million. This figure will continue to grow with incident data still being collated for last year, according to TAPA.
Just over 10 per cent of crimes reported in 32 countries in EMEA in 2008 were classified by TAPA as ‘major incidents’. Over 72 per cent of the reported crimes were received from the UK, representing 2,720 incidents. Spain and Germany were the second and third highest reporting crime areas with 254 and 207 reported thefts. In addition, 1,775 incidents of truck theft were reported involving empty vehicles.
“The figures we are starting to see for 2008 reinforce our message that no one can afford to be complacent about cargo crime,†said Gilad Solnik, IIS Lead for TAPA EMEA.
Solnik said that while TAPA’s Freight Security Requirements and Truck Security Requirements, along with the sharing of crime data, market intelligence and co-operation with law enforcement agencies had helped TAPA members reduce their overall losses, “we expect the level of threat to increase considerably as a direct result of the economic downturn.â€Â
“Organised criminals targeting high value products moving in supply chains remain the greatest threat but businesses also need to be more alert to the risk of opportunist thefts from ad hoc and first time criminals. We know from previous recessions that crime increases.â€Â
Citing UK government statistics, Solnik noted that the UK reported a 19 per cent increase in violent crime during the recession of the early 1990s. “We expect 2009 to be one of the toughest years of the last decade in terms of cargo crime statistics,†he added.
Statistics for 2008 show the number of vehicle thefts (laden or unladen) nearly doubled to 2,067. The majority of these incidents occurred in non secured parking areas in the UK, Germany and France.
TAPA said one of the most alarming trends in 2008 was the 50 per cent increase in reported thefts from facilities to 102 cases – following a downward trend in recent years – while fraud rose 24 per cent to 31 incidents. A 47.4 per cent decrease in the number of vehicle ‘hijackings’ may be the result of additional training companies are giving to drivers to help them to avoid violent attacks while en route.
Consumer electronics, food and beverage, metal, clothing and footwear were among the most frequently stolen products in 2008.
Founded in 1997, TAPA has associations in EMEA, Asia and the Americas with a global membership of over 500 companies comprising annual sales in excess of US$900 billion.