The RHA is hosting a major Freight Crime Showcase on 5 June which will bring together AI innovators, legal experts, enforcement agencies, and government representatives to help equip operators with the latest tools and strategies to protect their businesses from the threat of freight crime.
Freight crime is a growing and increasingly sophisticated threat to the UK’s supply chain, the RHA warned this week, adding that organised criminal groups are exploiting vulnerabilities in the transport network, putting valuable goods at risk, as well as the safety and wellbeing of lorry drivers.
Since 2020, losses from freight crime are estimated to have exceeded £1bn, and in the past year alone, the value of goods stolen from lorries has surged by nearly two-thirds, reaching £111.5m.
Declan Pang, RHA policy and public affairs director, said: “Freight crime impacts driver welfare, contributes to rising costs for consumers, and makes it harder for businesses to recruit and retain staff.
“Drivers face increasing dangers from gangs targeting parked vehicles — particularly those isolated in laybys and poorly lit industrial estates. The human cost is high, and the need for action is urgent.
“The RHA has consistently led the call for a national, coordinated approach to freight crime including increased resource for the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service which is the sole police unit which specialises in freight crime.
“We also need to see a national standard for secure parking adopted to ensure there are consistent safety standards to reduce criminal threats. A national lorry parking programme to address the chronic shortage of secure parking is also essential for tackling the root cause – the lack of capacity.”
In addition to freight crime, the event will also look at threat of clandestine entrants and the UK Border Force’s Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Scheme (CECPS), which RHA said was inadequate and in crisis.
Pang said: “Fines of up to £10,000 per driver are being issued — even in cases where operators have taken every reasonable precaution to protect their vehicle, such as installing padlocks and cameras.
“Organised gangs continue to exploit vehicles, yet responsibility and financial liability are too often being unfairly shifted onto hauliers who are victims, not perpetrators.”
He pointed to a recent report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI), which found that the scheme lacks proper leadership and is significantly under-resourced.
“It fails to consistently apply discretion in cases where operators have clearly demonstrated due diligence, raising serious questions about its fairness and effectiveness.”
The RHA is asking hauliers to sign up to its open letter to the Home Secretary to reform the scheme, which can be found here.
The RHA said it will provide more information on the Freight Crime Showcase shortly.
