TAPA EMEA 2021 PREMIER PARTNER VIEWPOINT
What we do as a company and industry is always evolving – but we must never forget that the criminals are getting smarter too.
Organised criminal groups usually do their homework! They collect information beforehand about the route, the cargo and any stops that might be known ahead of the transport. They are usually also well aware of the presence of the escort (and very often the quality of the escort) and the probability that the truck is also being monitored. That’s why, in most cases, they will choose not to assault an escorted truck, but target another transport with a similar cargo.
Criminals infiltrate sector associations and visit workshops to gather intelligence about the methods being used to secure cargo loads. They are increasingly aware of the latest developments, for instance, relating to door sensors and door locks and bolts. They know it has become much more difficult to break open the door of a trailer and that doing so risks setting off an acoustic alarm or a notification to the control room. So, as TAPA EMEA regularly reports, they will most often cut a large hole in the side or the roof of a trailer. By doing this, the door stays intact and, in most cases, no alarm signal will be raised. We also see increased use of jammers that render communication from the truck to the control room impossible.
Security escorting has also evolved to stay ahead of the growing threat from OCGs. When we started 20 years ago, it was basically just a case of following a truck. Back then, there was no preparatory route audit, no research into historical incidents on that particular route, and no direct communication with, for instance, an incident centre. In recent years, however, the control room has taken on a central role in escorting. Nowadays, the control
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room monitors the escort - and often the truck/trailer as well - via GPS and maintains frequent contact with the escort. This facilitates much more adequate, efficient and proactive actions by predicting and preventing possible deviations.
Nowadays, most European countries mandate that you must notify local law enforcement about (cross-border) shipments which have security escorts and, in certain cases, you need to choose a border crossing or route together with the police. In this way, they are ‘in the know’ in case of a threat or an incident and they can act much faster as soon as the control room asks for their assistance. Control rooms concerned in these operations must be certified according to the European EN50518 standard, the European certification for a monitoring station. In the event of an incident, the control room immediately starts up the escalation procedure and will ask local law enforcement in the country concerned for assistance. And, dashcam recordings are now particularly useful in investigating incidents.
Technology, of course, plays a vital role in effective cargo security.
Our (usually very inconspicuous) escort cars have been equipped for years now with a GPS vehicle tracking system connected to our 24/7 control room, as well as a hidden panic button and two dash cameras. The windows
are also covered with automotive safety film to prevent criminals from simply breaking the windows. We equip escorts will tablet computers, allowing them to see the position of the truck/trailer but also enabling them to escort it at a somewhat longer distance. This is a preferred option because if the escort follows the truck too closely, this increases the risk of the escort becoming involved in any hijacking. By keeping more distance, it is much harder for the criminals to hit not just the truck but the escort as well. This technology also allows reporting according to templates agreed with the customer.
Monitoring by a control room is an excellent way to follow a truck and to act in case of an anomaly, like the use of a panic alarm by the driver or sounding of a trailer door alarm. Many customers, though, believe that in certain cases – depending on the attractiveness of the goods, the value of the cargo, the route and/or the region the truck needs to cross – it is essential to also deploy an escort, who can act immediately in case one of the above alarms is raised. No matter how fast the control room acts and sends the local police force to the scene, this is always slower than the escort following the truck.
It’s important not to base your choice of escorting service on price only. Service providers should be fully informed about the best security requirements, such as TAPA’s Security Standards, and be able to prove adequate intervention procedures, access to the police network and knowledge of the requirements an escort vehicle and escort staff should fulfil. These are crucial in security escorting because the initial customer will hold its service provider accountable as far as these issues are concerned.
And, you should be clear on the level of escorting service you require, i.e:
• Local: on and around the various European airports, where the truck/car is escorted from the aircraft to the GHA (Ground Handling Agent).
• Domestic: escorts within national borders
• Cross border: escorts active across national borders
Depending on the risks and the legal and regulatory stipulations in the country/ region concerned, security escort services are performed armed or unarmed. This also requires a high level of understanding of each jurisdiction. Most typically, we are called upon to support clients in Belgium, Germany, England, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic and Ukraine and need to know all of their national requirements.
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