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COUNTRY FOCUS: BELGIUM


CENTRAL POLICE SERVICES FOR TRANSPORT CRIME ARE ESSENTIAL TO TACKLE CROSS-BORDER CARGO THEFTS AND LINKS TO OTHER FORMS OF SERIOUS CRIME


Cross-border losses remain one of the biggest challenges for cargo crime and insurance investigations – a fact that is well-known, and regularly exploited, by offenders.


The annual statistical data provided by international loss adjustors, B.V.B.A Wim Dekeyser for cargo thefts in Belgium in 2019 more than highlights this situation. Based on its own data, it says Belgian carriers now suffer as many cases of cargo losses in other countries as they do within their own national borders.


In 2019, Wim Dekeyser’s analysis of major Belgian freight crime incidents shows:


• 23% were recorded in France • 23% took place in Eastern Europe • 19% were reported in the Netherlands


• 13% of crime occurred in the United Kingdom


In recent years, the company has provided one of the best sources of intelligence on


the activities of fake carriers in Europe and crimes which have been perpetrated by bogus operators via online freight exchanges. Its highly respected, free of charge ‘warning system’ lists the identities of hundreds of company names which have been involved in cargo losses to help the loss prevention programmes of legitimate buyers of logistics services and authentic transport operators.


In the past year, cases involving fake carriers rose sharply to 25% of all incidents recorded by Wim Dekeyser – up from 9% in 2018 – although not all came as a result of companies buying transport capacity using online exchanges. This is by far the highest level in the last five years. In two of these major frauds, 13 and seven shipments were stolen.


Recoveries of stolen loads in Romania, Poland and the Czech Republic, while very welcome news for the victims, also served to demonstrate the cross-border nature of these types of incidents. The biggest scam in Poland also showed clear links to organised crime in both Poland and Ukraine, the report adds.


Some fake carriers are also very repetitive in their activities; one was linked to over a dozen embezzled shipments.


Overall, 15 losses involving fake carriers were recorded by Wim Dekeyser last year, the highest number since 2015. The combined loss for these crimes was also at its highest level since 2014 at €1,952,152, with only €85,000 of the stolen goods being recovered.


The biggest scam in Poland also showed clear links to organised crime in both Poland and Ukraine, the report adds.


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