CARGO CRIME DATA: MAY 2021


19


Most cargo crimes recorded to TAPA’s IIS database in May took place in the United Kingdom.


Theft from Vehicle was the most recorded type of incident with 53 crimes, 32.9% of the monthly total.


In the 31 days of the month, cargo crimes were reported in 18 countries across the EMEA region, including the top five of:


• United Kingdom - 58 incidents, 36% of the monthly total


• Spain - 31 or 19.3% • Germany - 14 or 8.7% • South Africa - 14 or 8.7% • Denmark 11 or 6.8%


These countries were followed by France with 9 incidents (5.6%), Italy with 8 (5%) and Belgium with 4 (2.5%).


Losses were recorded in 12 IIS product categories. In 125 or 77.6% of these crimes, the goods stolen were recorded as miscellaneous or unspecified. Outside of this group, the top five product types targeted by criminals in May were:


• Food & Drink – 7 incidents (4.4% of all crimes)


• Tobacco – 5 (3.3%) • Cash – 4 (2.6%)


• No Load (Theft of truck and/or trailer) – 4 (2.6%)


• Clothing & Footwear – 3 (1.8%)


Five IIS type of incident categories saw double-digit incident rates:


• Theft from Vehicle – 53 or 32.9% • Theft from Trailer – 33 or 20.5% • Theft of Vehicle – 23 or 14.3% • Robbery – 14 or 8.7% • Hijacking – 10 or 6.2%


Outside of the 61 or 37.5% of crimes where the type of location was unknown, two locations accounted for 49% of the remaining incidents:


• Unclassified Parking Location –47 (29.2%) • Destination Facility – 32 (19.8%)


During this reporting month, TAPA’s IIS was notified of 22 crimes with the M.O. of Violent & Threat with Violence, 13.6% of the May total.


Incident reports over the course of the month also included:


• On 1 May, offenders hijacked two trucks en route in Johannesburg, South Africa, before using petrol bombs to torch both vehicles. On 5 May, TAPA received a report of a further vehicle being set on fire at an unclassified parking location in South Africa.


• Armed thieves travelling in two cars fired shots at the driver of a cash-in-transit vehicle and its security escort in Mbombela in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province on 6 May.


• A quick-thinking lorry driver transporting a shipment of tobacco products in Lytham, Lancashire in the UK, on 8 May, contacted police after noticing he was being followed by a van. Police carried out a real-time ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) check and identified the van was using cloned licence plates. Police officers dispatched to the scene arrested two people and seized the van.


• On 21 May, a cash-in-transit van en route in Brakpan in South Africa’s Gauteng province was struck by a car before being attacked by nine men, who used explosives to blow open the vehicle’s security doors.


Clandestine intrusion remained a frequent risk for trucks and drivers in the region. In two reports to TAPA’s IIS in May, 12 migrants were found in the back of a truck in La Seyne-sur- Mer in France and, in a separate incident, Romanian police intercepted 20 migrants who were attempting to cross the country’s western border in a truck.


If you see news reports of cargo crimes in the EMEA region, please forward the link to iis@tapaemea.org


PRODUCT CATEGORY Miscellaneous Unspecified Food & Drink Tobacco Cash


No Load (Theft of truck and/or trailer) Clothing & Footwear


Tools/Building Materials


Furniture/Household Appliances Metal


Bicycles


Cosmetics & Hygiene Tyres


Jewellery/Precious Metals No


101 24 7 5 4 4 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1


%


62.6% 14.9% 4.4% 3.3% 2.6% 2.6% 1.8% 1.2% 1.2% 1.2% 1.2% 1.2% 1.2% 0.6%


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