10 UK MOTORWAY SERVICE AREAS


ACTION STATIONS


Since the beginning of 2017, TAPA’s Incident Information Service (IIS) has been notified of 296 cases of cargo thefts at motorway service stations in the United Kingdom.


The fact that so many cases have occurred in such busy environments is a significant cause for concern, especially given the often high values and quantities of goods stolen. Perhaps even more surprisingly, a high percentage of these crimes occur while drivers are resting in their vehicles.


The M.O. used by offenders is well-established. Most incidents take place during the night and involve attackers cutting open the tarpaulin sides of trucks to determine the types of goods inside and, ultimately, to decide whether or not they’re worth stealing. It seems that, increasingly, they are.


Some of the losses since the start of the year at UK motorway services include:


• €271,028 - Theft of a cargo of tyres on 22 March


• €142,962 - Clothing & Footwear stolen on 11 April


• €129,532 – A shipment of radiators taken on 18 January


• €112,534 – Clothing & Footwear products on 2 February


• €96,472 – Car Parts stolen on 9 February


• €78,482 – A loss of sportswear and shoes on 16 May


• €74,907 – Computers/Laptops stolen from a truck on 23 May


• €74,164 – Alloy wheels stolen on 11 May • €71,340 – Another loss of tyres on 10 April • €70,815 – Computers/Laptops on 20 April


However you choose to look at it, that’s a lot of tyres, radiators, computers/laptops, clothing


and footwear. In other words, this is not the work of individual opportunists who quickly slice a hole in the slide of a truck, reach in, grab a box and run away. This is organised crime – and very often the offenders are believed to come armed with ‘orders’ from established black market customers.


Thefts from trucks at motorway services are not just a UK phenomenon. It clearly happens across Europe, just in smaller numbers. Whether that means there are fewer actual crimes or it’s just that in the UK TAPA’s law enforcement agency partners are more supportive when it comes to incident reporting remains open to debate.


‘This is not the work of individual opportunists who quickly slice a hole in the slide of a truck, reach in, grab a box and run away. This is organised crime – and very often the offenders are believed to come with ‘orders’ from established black market customers.


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