As freight crime continues to rise, the RHA has once again called upon the government to provide aid in helping to tackle it.
Ultimately, it is important to understand that freight crime is on the rise all the time. It presents a serious risk to the industry and the people who work in it, which is why it’s important to try and seek government help.
Organised and Unnoticed
Without a doubt, the biggest issue that goes hand-in-hand with freight crime is that it is one of the least noticed crime organisations in the country. Freight crime is a highly organised epidemic, and it would take roughly 11,000 more safe parking spaces in order to stop organised crimes from taking place.
The biggest issue with crime of this nature is that it’s very difficult to understand the true depth of it because it’s not recorded in the right way. It’s categorised right now as being the theft from a motor vehicle, which puts it on the same level as crimes that take place on domestic vehicles. Understandably, this is not an accurate reflection of how this type of crime behaves or the impact can have.
Crime on the Rise
Recent reports suggest that over £500 million worth of goods have been stolen from HGVs over the last few years. This includes things like laptops, tablets and mobile phones. They are sold online within a matter of hours and are often taken by sophisticated networks who carefully target and isolate some of the most vulnerable drivers and vehicle vehicles.
Rhys Hackling, RHA member, said this about the issue:
“These criminals are now much more sophisticated, with huge amounts of goods being stolen and sold. The Government needs to make the punishment fit the crime and ensure culprits are jailed. Sometimes you will see stolen products sold online within 24 hours of being taken. The chances of being caught are quite low.”
To put it in perspective, last year there were more than 5300 incidents of crime and £68 million worth of goods reported stolen although the retail value is much higher than this.
Government Support Needed
Crimes of this nature continue to plague the industry, and they are incredibly damaging to both the profits of the business and the safety of the drivers. There are drivers who are choosing to leave the industry permanently because it’s not safe for them to make these trips and the risk of being threatened or attacked for the goods that they have is not very appealing.
It’s definitely true that government support is needed to try and curb this issue and make sure the people are protected on the roads. At this point, it really doesn’t matter which government is in charge, what matters is instead that the proper support is given. After all, people don’t really appreciate the importance of the industry and how vital freight shipping can be. The transport of goods and products can make a big difference to every aspect of life.