CARGO CRIME DATA: HY/2021


• €78,540 – on 10 June, an offender was arrested in Midrand, Gauteng province, South Africa, in connection with the hijacking of a truck transporting pharmaceutical products;


• €72,885 - A consignment of wine was stolen from an HGV in Basildon, Essex, in the United Kingdom on 4 January;


• €72,390 - On 21 January, an unspecified load was stolen from a truck parked in Endicott, South Africa. The driver was kidnapped but later released as the offenders made their getaway;


• €72,000 – 1,200 aluminium beer kegs were stolen on 3 April from an Origin Facility in Saint-Sylvestre- Cappel in northern France;


• €65,000 – On 9 June, the Civil Guard arrested seven members of a cargo theft gang operating in Toledo, Spain. The group are suspected of stealing electrical appliances, 146 of which were recovered by police officers.


As is now often the case, most goods targeted by cargo thieves were reported to TAPA EMEA’s IIS database as either miscellaneous or unspecified. In H1/2021, this accounted for over 75% of crime reports.


Analysis of the half-year data, however, still shows recorded losses in 19 IIS product categories, including 13 with double-digit rates of incidents:


• Food & Drink – 83 (5.4%) • Tobacco – 43 (2.8%) • Clothing & Footwear – 38 (2.5%) • Furniture/Household Appliances – 31 (2%) • Tools/Building Materials – 30 (1.9%) • Metal – 25 (1.6%) • Cash – 25 (1.6%) • No Load (Theft of truck and/or trailer) – 18 (1.1%) • Car Parts – 13 (0.8%) • Bicycles – 12 (0.7%) • Tyres – 12 (0.7%) • Pharmaceuticals – 11 (0.7%) • Cosmetics & Hygiene – 10 (0.6%)


Theft from Vehicle crimes represented 515 or 32.9% of the incidents reported to TAPA EMEA in H1/2021, ahead of:


• Theft from Trailer – 238 (15.3%) • Theft of Vehicle – 206 (13.2%) • Theft – 176 (11.3%) • Robbery – 154 (9.9%)


A total of 66 truck and van hijackings were recorded as well as 47 cases of Clandestine intrusions involving migrants trying to cross borders. Only 3.8% or 61 crimes were Theft from Facility attacks. 194 (12.4%) of all incidents identified by the Association involved the M.O. of Violent or Threat with Violence.


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Of the known types of locations where cargo crimes occurred, Destination Facility recorded the highest total of 380 incidents or (24.3%) of the half-yearly total. This partly reflects the growth in attacks on Last Mile delivery vehicles. The lack of secure truck parking in the EMEA region was also a significant factor in the 346 or (22.2%) of crimes targeting trucks in Unclassified Parking Locations.


The big question now for supply chain security professionals is what lies behind the 50% year-on-year fall in cargo crimes recorded by TAPA EMEA’s IIS. The 1,565 reported incidents in H1/2021 compares to 3,278 in the H1/2020 report in Vigilant a year ago. Is this a genuine indicator of less criminal activity or simply a case of a lower level of reporting of the incidents which are taking place because companies and law enforcement agencies are themselves disrupted and distracted by the diverse consequences of the pandemic? Only time will tell.


HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEWS?


Much of the intelligence gathered by TAPA’s Incident Information Service (IIS) is generated from media reports.


If you see a reported cargo crime incident, just take a second and send the news link to iis@tapaemea.org


TAPA INTELLIGENCE DRIVES SECURE SUPPLY CHAINS


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