Major operators are throwing their weight behind a campaign to save TruckPol, led by MT’s sister magazine Commercial Motor, the Road Haulage Association and the Freight Transport Association.
Since the withdrawal of its government grant last April, the freight crime intelligence unit has managed to survive on funding from the private sector, including haulage firms and insurance companies. However, without any government money available for the next financial year, the unit is unable to keep operating purely on industry support and faces closure by the end of March if urgent funding is not found.
Dragons’ Den star and CEO of Pall-Ex has given her support to the Fight Freight Crime, Save TruckPol campaign, claiming that the loss of the unit would have a "far-reaching impact". "Sadly, crime still blights the sector, and with many hauliers feeling the pinch, they can ill-afford any kind of loss," she adds.
Maritime Transport MD John Williams says: "At a time when freight is under increasing threat from criminal gangs, as well as opportunist thieves, clearly it would be a huge backward step to lose this important interface with the police and in particular, a dedicated team responsible forfighting truck-related freight crime and providing safety for drivers on UK roads."
DHL Supply Chain regional security manager (north UK) John Legge believes TruckPol plays a vital role acting as a "conduit of intelligence between the police and the industry". He adds: ""Truckpol is a major asset to the freight industry, not just DHL, and we fully support a campaign to save the unit."
Wincanton says it has also directly benefitted from intelligence provided by TruckPol in its own investigations into freight crime. Profit-protection manager for UK & Ireland Warren Taylor-Smith adds: "We were very disappointed to hear that it was at risk because of a lack of funds."
The campaign is urging operators to act now and send in a donation, no matter how large or small, to keep TruckPol in operation. For more details, go to www.commercialmotor.com/savetruckpol
