The paper was presented at the Polish Logistics Congress “Logistics 2004 – Logistics networks in the integrated European market”. Poznań, May 19-21, 2004.
European logistics is facing problems related to comprehensive transport protection. To understand the challenges facing security systems, one must first define the scale of the problem. The state of security is illustrated by numerous statistics that indicate the gravity of the issue. Global losses in cargo transport are estimated at approximately 30 trillion dollars annually, with proportions between America, Asia, and Europe being comparable. Most losses occur during transport, when valuable cargo is only as secure as the vehicles carrying it and the processes used by the carrier. Other losses occur in warehouses, depots, and ports. Cargo can be anything from microchips, mobile phones, and household appliances to food products. The article describes the threats occurring during transit in Europe. It also mentions a new service on the European market that could become an essential component of any risk management plan. The Council of the European Union, analyzing the scale of the problem, estimated that approximately 200,000 crimes are committed against private vehicles each year.
Statistics show that, on average, a vehicle is stolen once a day in Europe, and these data are consistent. In 2003, 149 armed robberies were recorded in France, 80% of which were committed within a 150 km radius of Paris. In the third quarter of 2003, 11 robberies were recorded in the UK, 4 of which were committed against foreign drivers. Most crimes are committed by organized criminal gangs. Based on some data, it is suggested that up to 60-70% of crimes occur with the involvement of employees. Opportunistic thefts are also frequent, but the scale of losses is significantly smaller than in the case of organized crime. Despite the existence of many different types of robberies in Europe, five basic categories have been defined that have occurred most frequently over the last few years. In first place are robberies, which have the lowest frequency of all crimes, but because they involve the entire cargo, they cause relatively high losses. Incidents involving weapons also occur frequently, with criminals possessing precise timing data obtained from “leaks” in the supply chain.
The second category of most frequently committed crimes is burglary with theft. This type of crime occurs mainly at night, when the driver is sleeping and the trailer tarpaulin is left unattended. Information about the vehicle’s contents in this type of crime is useful but not necessary. Often, however, criminals conduct reconnaissance of the vehicle before committing the theft. This type of crime rarely occurs in convoy transport.
The third type of robbery is very common around London. Its victims are drivers, and it has been called the “around the corner game”. The driver receives information from the person they supposedly work for that the cargo collection point is unavailable because it is too busy or some other reason is given. Therefore, the goods must be delivered to another location, which is usually “around the corner”. The goods are then reloaded into another vehicle while the driver is invited for a coffee. In such cases, the criminals are usually dressed in appropriate attire and possess fake IDs, which they show if the driver asks for them. Usually, no violence is used, and in the case of this type of crime, it can be prevented by raising driver awareness and implementing appropriate procedures. Recently, this type of crime has been committed against foreign drivers, mainly from Eastern Europe, who did not know the English language.
The fourth type of robbery occurs when criminals pose as police, stopping moving vehicles. These crimes are common around London, Paris, in Italy, as well as in Eastern European countries. Recently, these crimes have been successful due to the excellent camouflage of cars and police uniforms. Like the robberies described above, this strategy is particularly popular against foreign drivers, and sometimes force and weapons are even used. The simplest preventive measure is again driver education.
The last type in the general classification of robberies is gas attacks. In the last few years, this method has been mainly used in Germany and France. In this case, criminals use gases containing CS gas, pepper spray, and an unidentified sleeping gas. Gas detection systems are currently available on the market, but the police are skeptical of drivers who use gas detection devices as an excuse for not taking appropriate steps to secure the cargo.
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