|
|
|
|
|
General Advice
The theft of a lorry
and/or load can have a significant
impact on drivers, particularly for
smaller operators and owner/drivers.
In 2008, nearly 1895 trucks were stolen
in the UK and half were never recovered.
In addition, TruckPol recorded almost 3749 incidents of crime, with a combined value of £84.5 million. The average loss per crime now stands at over £22,500. A stolen truck can be stripped in minutes.
Professional criminals
and opportunists alike will target
your vehicles and load but there is
much that you can do to prevent thefts
and reduce the chance of being a victim
of crime.
|
|
| |
[Thieves In Action] |
|
| |
|
Key
points;
- Be alert
to the threat. Your lorry
is your livelihood. Plan your route
in advance wherever possible and avoid
regular routes and stopping places.
Organised criminals will observe drivers
and vehicles for a period of time to
build up information about routes,
lorry movements and drivers prior to
carrying out their crimes. Avoid discussing
what you are carrying with other drivers
and customers.
- Do not
leave keys in the ignition.
Nearly half of stolen vehicles are
stolen when keys are left in them.
Always lock the vehicle and take the
keys with you, even if you are only
away for a short time. It takes seconds
for a thief to drive your vehicle away
and if keys are left in the ignition,
your insurance may be invalidated.
- Lock your
cab when driving and when you leave
it . The most commonly stolen
item is drivers' personal kit, including
telephones, wallets and other personal
effects from unattended unlocked cabs.
Lock your doors when out on the road
to stop thieves from simply climbing
up into the cab from the passenger
door.
- Protect your
identity, including documents
and company issued clothing. Thieves
use shipping orders, consignment notes
and company paperwork along with high
visibility clothing to impersonate you
and collect loads.
|
| Further
comprehensive advice is available from the
following; |
|
 |
Click here to download the Home Office Steer Clear of Truck
Theft security advice for drivers.
Click here to
download the International Road Transport Union
security guidelines or visit their site at www.iru.org
|
| |
|
 |
>> Parking
>> Anti Hijack
>>
Round The Corner
>> Bogus
Police/VOSA
|
|
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
Parking
Demand for secure LGV parking
within the UK is high. Vehicles parked in
lay-bys or isolated industrial estates are
regularly targeted by thieves who travel
the length and breadth of the country to
find loads and vehicles to steal. Curtain
sided trailers are particularly vulnerable,
as are boxes and containers with barn doors
at the rear.
The Park Mark Safer Parking Scheme is an initiative
aimed at reducing crime and the fear of
crime in parking facilities. ‘Park Mark'
accreditation will only be given where
the area has been vetted by the police
and measures have been put in place to
create a safer environment. Click here to
search for secure parking. |
Try
and plan your route so that you have enough
time to find parking places with features
such as access control, CCTV, lighting, fencing
and the presence of security personnel which
have all been shown to reduce the chances
of becoming a victim of crime by as much
as 80%.
For the latest government
parking proposals please see www.highways.gov.uk
For a list of IRU approved
parking sites, click here |
|
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
Anti Hijack
Professional thieves will
target valuable loads out on the road. Drivers
should be alert to this and take precautions
as follows; - Be alert as to vehicles
which might be following you. Report suspicions
to your transport office and/or TruckPol.
In urgent cases, call 999.
- Thieves
will try and stop you by employing
a number of methods including ‘staged'
accidents, impersonating police, tricking
you with the pretext that your trailer
doors are open or that your trailer
plate has fallen off. Don't
be fooled!
- Consider after market
security to secure the cab if parking overnight.
If you believe you are being attacked,
sound the horn and switch on hazard lights.
- If attacked, do not resist.
Contact your transport office and the police
as soon as possible after the incident.
|
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
Round
The Corner
A common method employed by criminals, particularly
in and around London is to approach you as
you arrive at the destination or when you
are parked outside waiting to unload. They
will often give the appearance of working
at the destination, wearing staff uniform
or simply a high visibility vest, shirt and
tie and may appear to know where you are
delivering and what you are carrying. Don't
be fooled!
They will use a plausible
cover story about a flooded warehouse, broken
forklift, urgent trans-shipment or queue
ahead and will offer to help you offload
then and there or take you ‘round the corner'
to another yard to unload. If you comply,
they will steal your load. Don't
be fooled!
|
| If
you are approached on arrival or when parked
outside and asked to redirect to an alternative
destination always check with
your own transport office or ‘goods in' office
or reception at your destination. If asked
to transfer a load direct to another vehicle
in the street, always check with your transport
office first. If you receive a call on the
road asking you to divert to another location
and you don't recognise the caller, don't
be afraid to call the office back to double
check. Thieves have been known to get hold
of your phone number and redirect you to
a location where they can steal your load. Don't
be fooled! |
|
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
Bogus Police/VOSA
It is very rare for criminals to impersonate
police officers to try and stop you on the
move. If you receive a telephone call asking
you to pull over for a police officer behind
you or if you are flashed by an unmarked
car, be alert!
|
 |
Genuine
police officers will have no objection to being
asked to verify details through a police control
room. If police or VOSA need
to stop your vehicle, they will be able to
call on a marked vehicle to do so.
If
stopped by an unmarked vehicle, pull over
when it is safe to do so in a well lit area
so as to afford them maximum health and safety
protection and remain in your vehicle with
engine running and doors locked.
Call your
traffic office to report that you have been
stopped. If they are not in uniform, ask
for ID and check it. If you believe
that you are being robbed, call 999 immediately.
Don't be fooled!
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
