A major campaign has been launched by police and partner agencies to help tackle heavy goods vehicle crime in the run-up to Christmas.
Officers from the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU) have joined forces with the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) for the initiative, which will see them mounting increased activity at identified HGV crime ‘hotspots’ across the region.
Organised criminal gangs regularly target good vehicles while they are parked up, often slashing curtain sides or breaking open back doors while drivers are on rest breaks.
In the busy weeks and months leading up to Christmas, the movement of a range of consumer goods increases both in frequency and value, making it a time of heightened risk.
As part of the campaign, officers will be running a series of driver engagement evenings at key locations on the region’s transport network, alongside increased overt and covert activity throughout the evenings at HGV parking sites.
The initiative was launched at the weekend with a partnership event at West Yorkshire Police’s Carr Gate complex, in Wakefield, showcasing the range of different specialist police resources that will be brought to bear.
The team then held a public engagement event at Xscape in Castleford to raise awareness among road users along the M62 corridor.
In August, an operation led by YHROCU’s Regional Intelligence Unit saw six people arrested in raids at addresses in Leeds as part of an investigation into the organised theft of cargo from heavy goods vehicles nationally.
Officers seized a quantity of suspected stolen goods during the warrants, along with controlled drugs and a variety of weapons, including a stun gun, which is prohibited under firearms legislation. Those arrested remain on bail while enquiries continue.
Detective Superintendent Al Burns, of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit, who is the national ROCU lead for Serious Organised Acquisitive Crime, said:
“While we’re aware that organised criminal groups target heavy goods vehicles to steal valuable goods throughout the year, we know that the weeks and months leading up to Christmas is a key time where thieves think there will be rich pickings for them.
“We have had some notable successes targeting these gangs through an intelligence-led approach and, while that work is continuing, we have launched this campaign to raise awareness and share crime prevention information among the HGV driver community at key locations in the region.
“We are also working to increase awareness among the wider public to encourage people to report any suspicious activity on the road network that could be linked to this type of crime, as well as reporting goods being offered for sale in circumstances that would indicate they have been stolen.
“Organised theft from heavy goods vehicles is a significant issue nationally, with an average of nine offences per day amounting to a total cost of £65 million last year. The wider impact includes the trauma caused to drivers who confront the thieves, as well as damage to vehicles, replacement transport, missed deliveries, insurance costs, and disruption to supply chains, with customers often facing higher prices as a result.”
Nigel Collins, Intelligence Lead for Freight at NaVCIS, said:
“Our partnership with the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU) and the Opal Supply Chain Crime Intelligence Desk is instrumental in tackling the organised criminal groups targeting heavy goods vehicles in the region. As the freight and logistics sector enters one of its busiest periods, the sharing of intelligence between law enforcement and industry remains critical to identifying threats, protecting cargoes, and reducing opportunities for criminality.
“These engagement events provide a valuable opportunity to hear directly from drivers; better understand the challenges they face and promote the reporting of freight crime and suspicious activity to both the police and NaVCIS.
“The NaVCIS Freight Team is proud to support this intensification activity, working closely with policing partners to disrupt organised criminality and safeguard the movement of goods. As part of the National Supply Chain Strategy on freight crime, this coordinated approach brings together intelligence, enforcement and industry engagement to strengthen the national response and protect the UK supply chains.”