The UK does not have enough secure truck parks and criminals are
taking advantage, the Government has been warned.
Parminder Singh, chairman of the National Business Crime Forum
and a leading Business Voice WM campaigner, has written to both
Local Government Minister Greg Clark and Jenny Crighton, director
for corporate strategy and public affairs at the Local Government
Association, asking them to do more.
Mr Singh said: "The Forum is united in its stance that the lack
of secure truck parks contributes to a high level of business crime
across the UK.
"London, the South East and the West Midlands are the three most
affected regions by this form of crime, often involving hijackings
of trucks and assaults on truck drivers."
In a recent incident in the West Midlands a robber died after a
Greek lorry driver - said to be in fear of his life - fought
back.
Truckpol, the national truck crime policing unit, has reported
that the average cost of incidents - between January and March
there were 769 across the country - is over £35,000.
Mr Singh said: "Unlike in other European countries, there is a
lack of secure truck parks that would lead to a reduction in this
crime.
"And that can lead to problems for the local community. For
instance, once the secure truck park was closed down at
Featherstone in South Staffordshire in 2008, there was an increase
in the incidence of anti social behaviour reported by local people
in the area.
"The Forum believes that secure truck parks can play an
important role in reducing this form of crime."
He urged the matter be clearly spelled out in relevant planning
policy statements that logistics sites should have secure parking
areas. Local authorities whose boundaries take in motorway
junctions should also be required to give active consideration to
some form of secure truck park in their area.
A truck watch scheme already exists in the Midlands.
By joining Midlands Truck Watch all truck drivers and haulage
owners are sent alerts by e-mail, fax, text messages or telephone
so they can be on the look-out for stolen trucks and loads - and
then let the police know if they see anything.
They can also ring in to a voice mail box to check for the
latest alerts.
Mr Singh said: "We must get to grips with these modern day
highwaymen stalking our motorways.
"Criminals increasingly seem to think that lorries are easy and
often lucrative prey. Drivers are being terrorised and millions of
pounds of goods are being taken.
"The Government needs to take this far more seriously."
The National Business Crime Forum was formed in February and
comprises national representative organisations and regional
business crime prevention forums across the UK. The aim is to
ensure best practice to combat business crime is promoted and
issues of common concern are communicated to Government and other
key decision makers.