MP tables Bill to tackle serious organised freight crime

The Bill forms part of the MP’s campaign to tackle an epidemic of theft impacting the freight and logistics industry.

The sector employs 19% of workers in her North Warwickshire and Bedworth constituency and indirectly supports thousands more local jobs. 

The Bill is a Ten-Minute Rule Bill, a type of Bill used by backbench MPs to bring attention to issues of importance to them.

It is being supported by local haulage businesses in North Warwickshire and Bedworth, and by the Road Haulage Association (RHA).

Taylor’s Bill calls on the government to introduce a specific crime code for freight crime, something the police and the freight industry say would make a huge difference in helping them tackle the issue. 

Without a specific crime code, large-scale thefts of freight goods are often categorised in the same way as thefts from personal vehicles, hindering the ability of the police to track and ultimately catch freight criminals. 

the latest figures from the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Police Service (NaVCIS) suggest that between 2023 and 2024 the total estimated value of goods stolen by freight criminals increased by 63%, to more than £110m. However, without a dedicated crime code the true extent of the problem remains difficult to quantify.

Recent examples of freight crime incidents include a firearms robbery of an HGV in Essex; a hammer robbery in West Yorkshire where a trailer of soft drinks was stolen; the theft of £1m of laptops for deprived children; the theft of a trailer containing 200,000 Cadbury’s crème eggs in Telford with a retail value of £200,000; and, following a cyber phishing attack, an incident where fraudsters diverted and then collected fifty pallets of cigarettes and tobacco worth £7m from a driver, by posing as the legitimate recipient..

Hauliers have also fallen victim to moving cargo thefts, with sixteen incidents in 2024. In one event, investigated by Leicestershire Police, when an HGV arrived at the depot it was found that high-value smart phones, watches, and tablets with a retail price of over £3m had been stolen in transit.The offence is believed to be a ‘rollover’ robbery, where criminals drive alongside the lorry, cut the sides, and steal its cargo while the vehicle is moving.

Taylor, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Freight and Logistics, said the huge increase in freight crime showed that at present criminals saw targeting the freight sector as a low risk, high reward crime.

Far from the perception of freight crime as being low level and opportunistic, she said, it was actually being perpetrated by organised criminal gangs with a high level of skill and expertise.

Taylor said: “From the goods in our shopping baskets to the components delivered to our factories, the freight and logistics sector underpins our entire economy. Yet the industry is under attack from organised thieves who are stealing tens of millions of pounds worth of goods every year, with consumers and businesses left to pick up the bill.

“Since I launched my campaign for tougher action on freight crime last year, the industry and the police have told me how a simple change to the way freight crime is recorded could make all the difference in putting these criminal gangs behind bars where they belong. 

“That’s why I’m delighted to be tabling my Ten Minute Rule Bill on freight crime this week, to send the message that with the right action from government time could soon be up for these serious organised criminals.” 

Richard Smith, RHA MD, said: “Last year saw a significant increase in the value of goods stolen from lorries - over £110m.

“Freight crime is becoming more serious, more organised, and more intelligence led. This is bad news for the industry and bad news for consumers. 

“We’ll only know the true scale of the issue once the police have a specific crime code, and we welcome and support the steps that Rachel Taylor MP is taking to deliver on this.” 

Dave Hands, MD of LTS Global Solutions, which is located in Rachel Taylor’s North Warwickshire and Bedworth constituency, said: 

“Freight crime is a worsening problem that’s fast turning into a crisis. Hauliers up and down the country, including ourselves, are all falling victim to its destructive impact. If freight crime continues at its current rate, hauliers will be the ones paying the price. 

“There are reports that freight crime could cost the UK logistics industry £6.1 billion by 2049, and with inflation that could rise to nearly £8 billion, which is just frightening.

“Recent years have shown the massive pressure the haulage industry is under, with over 500 businesses going bust in just 12 months. The threat of these incidents just adds to that pressure. 

“We warmly welcome Rachel Taylor’s Ten-Minute Rule Bill on freight crime being tabled in Parliament.

“Her hard stance on this matter has shone a spotlight on how vulnerable the industry is to such incidents and how lenient penalties have created an environment where organised criminals operate with impunity. We hope that ends with her new Bill.”

 The APPG recently published a report entitled Securing Our Supply Chains which made recommendations on how the government can crack down on freight crime and secure supply chains. That report can be read here.

 The report’s key recommendations for government are: 

• Endorse and support secure parking standards: Drivers today cannot be assured of their own safety or that of their vehicle, even when in designated parking. Coordinated standards must be used to create an environment where drivers can pull into any truck stop with the confidence they deserve.
• Ensure planned reform to the National Planning Policy Framework considers the needs of hauliers: Reforms to the planning system must reflect the critical nature of supply chain security.
• Launch a national parking programme: There is a national shortage of lorry parking which forces many drivers to park overnight at unlit, unpopulated and vulnerable roadside facilities. Central government needs to work closely with local authorities to increase the provision of much-needed parking facilities.
• Increase support and resources for law enforcement: Our police forces do not currently have the tools and support to stem the rise of freight crime. Whilst other measures will help, there is no short cut that can replace better enforcement.
• Launch a national freight crime awareness campaign: To act as a visual deterrence to criminals who see freight as an easy target.