What’s driving cargo crime worldwide?

The Annual Cargo Theft Report 2023, printed by TT Membership and BSI SCREEN Intelligence, highlights excessive inflation as a big financial issue influencing patterns of cargo crime.

This 12 months’s report notes a selected enhance in theft of meals and drinks, together with alcohol, which now constitutes 24% of worldwide cargo thefts, up from 16% the earlier 12 months.

Key findings from the report reveal that the majority cargo thefts happen throughout highway transport, accounting for 71% of incidents. That stated, theft from services has decreased from 30% to 23%.

The report additionally reveals the international locations most affected, together with Mexico, the USA, South Africa, Germany, and Italy. Whereas electronics accounted for 9% of incidents, the monetary influence stays substantial as a result of excessive worth of products.

Regional variations within the strategies of cargo theft have been additionally famous, reminiscent of the usage of pretend police stops, often known as “blue mild crime” in South Africa, and “insider exercise” resulting in thefts in Asian international locations.

Tony Pelli, follow director at BSI, emphasised the broader implications of cargo theft and the way it causes firms issues past the billions of {dollars} stolen.

“Cargo theft is an issue that prices firms tens of billions of {dollars} annually and might trigger important disruption to essential provide chains, from pharmaceutical merchandise to semiconductors,” Pelli stated. “Having correct and up-to-date intelligence is step one in combatting this downside and pinpointing the places and varieties of theft which can be most certainly to hurt world provide chains.”

Mike Yarwood, TT’s managing director for loss prevention, defined the corporate’s method to those points.

“In figuring out shifting crime patterns when it comes to new fraudulent methodologies and a concentrate on each historic and present geographic threat, we search to help operators in tightening their safety processes,” he stated.

Yarwood additionally highlighted the report’s utility in providing actionable intelligence and proposals for mitigating dangers, reminiscent of elevated olive oil thefts in Southern Europe following poor harvests and rising oil values, and varied fraud techniques utilized in Europe and the USA.

“Our mixed expertise as insurance coverage supplier and provide chain intelligence gatherer is invaluable, not simply recording the small print of crime but additionally in recommending sensible actions and course of design options that can strengthen provide chain organizations of their battle in opposition to the specter of theft,” he stated.

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