The freight arm of the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) is warning that it is “critically short of funds” and in danger of closing down by October this year.
The warning comes as freight thefts continue to rise across the country with 1,528 HGV and cargo crime related offences reported so far this year, worth around £26.4m.
NaVCIS Freight’s role is to gather data on freight crimes and look for trends and tactics to support national and cross border investigations into freight crime, which has resulted in the disruption and arrest of a number of organised criminal gangs that prey on the haulage industry along roads, motorways, service stations and lay-bys across the UK.
In a bid to raise funds NaVCIS freight has announced it will begin charging for its fortnightly bulletin which alerts operators to areas suffering high freight crime levels.
NaVCIS head of unit, DCI Brett Mallon, said: “NaVCIS Freight is 100% funded by industry and we have provided our service to all for free. However, despite appeals, we are now critically short of the funds needed to continue. Budget predictions show we will have to stop at the end of October 2021.
“Our partners and I desire a fairer, sustainable funding model and now having exhausted our options I am forced to move to a membership model – only those paying the membership fee will have access to our intelligence products and analysis.
"No onward sharing of these reports outside of the members direct organisation is allowed. I regret the need to limit distribution, but the alternative is that ‘NaVCIS Freight’ ends and no-one is helped.”
Despite the recent addition of Clipper Logistics as a funding partner, NaVCIS is still in need of more companies to sign up.
Mallon added: “We are pleased to welcome Clipper Logistics to our valued sponsorship team. Each and every sponsor helps us to disrupt the lucrative and highly organised criminality that has devastating consequences to the haulage industry.”
A spokesperson at Clipper Logistics said: “We are proud to support the detection and prevention of vehicle finance crime within the industry, and the UK as a whole. We are delighted to contribute and support NaVCIS and their efforts, as they continue to serve the industry and communities on a daily basis.”
Companies that sign up for membership will receive 26 fortnightly bulletins, 12 monthly reports, four quarterly reports and NaVCIS’ annual freight crime bulletin.
Initial fees will be £700 for a small business, £2,500 for a medium sized business and £4,500 for a large business.
Further details can be found at by emailing freight@navcis.pnn.police.uk and including ‘Membership’ in the title.
DCI Dillon added: “As a police unit we cannot make a profit and so annual fees should reduce as memberships numbers increase. For fairness our fees will reflect the size of the applying organisation, based on published annual revenue.”
