road freight security

How to reduce your risk of suffering  road fright crime

Offenders continue to target vulnerable vehicles parked in isolated, unlit, lay-bys. Criminals often operate opportunistically, rather than being driven by load-specific robbery. They are prone to steal anything they can easily get their hands on.

How to reduce your risk of suffering  road fright crime

• Park in a well lit and populated area.
• Park close to other lorries, fuel tank to fuel tank, making it more difficult for offenders to access jet charter them.

• Park with your fuel tank facing the road so passing traffic makes it less of a target.
• Consider using an anti siphoning device.
• Consider using CCTV.
• Ensure that you report any suspicious incidents / behaviour to the police.

Robbery offences are shown as increasing. In the first two months of the year, a noted rise in attacks on vehicles transporting easily disposable goods, such as cigarettes and alcohol indicate criminal targeting of cash-generating product. These loads are often in transit to small retail units.

The offenders in these cases often travel in groups of four or five individuals and will follow the victim vehicle for some miles before launching an attack. They will either attack the vehicle whilst the driver is carrying out a delivery, forcing entry to the rear of the vehicle, or will 'jump' the vehicle whilst the driver is still inside. The offenders are extremely persistent and will travel many miles in order to get the result they require. They may travel in convoy with other offenders and often use a white Transit-sized vehicle for ferrying contraband. Criminals are becoming increasingly violent towards drivers in order to get hold of the load.

We urge companies to ensure all their drivers are made aware of the problem and that they could potentially be being followed, or monitored. Instruct them to take note of the vehicle behind, and, if it is has been persistent for some miles and they are suspicious - then they should drive to a safe, built-up area, and call their dispatcher/control room. If there is any degree of concern - a call to the Police is essential. Drivers should note down, where possible, registration numbers, circumstances and locations of suspicious vehicle activity and inform the company.

We have made our colleagues nationally aware of the problem and all police forces should have a trigger plan in place to instigate should a Robbery be reported.