Things are not going well with the cargo theft. Last year, 13,416 thefts (or attempted thefts) were reported to the Transported Asset Protection Organisation worldwide. That amounts to more than double compared to 2021. In our country, it even means a tripling.
Most cargo thefts take place in Europe. Great Britain leads with more than 4,100 incidents and is closely followed by Germany (3,850 reports). No less than sixty percent of all incidents take place in Great Britain or Germany.
Our country occupies the fourth place, with 727 reports. "A substantial increase compared to 2021, when only 185 incidents were reported," writes Nieuwsblad Transport. According to the newspaper, the Netherlands is back at the level of 2019, when 694 incidents were reported in tapa's database.
Transported Asset Protection Organisation (TAPA)
TAPA is a trade association that wants to prevent the losses caused by cargo theft as much as possible. Transport companies can anonymously report theft of cargo, but also of the trailer or even the complete vehicle. TAPA keeps track of the reports in a database, but expects the numbers to be even higher in reality, because "there is also likely a lot of cargo theft not reported".
Average damage amount
In addition to the number of incidents, the amount of damage has also tripled. In 2021, that total damage amounted to just under a hundred million, while last year - as far as is known - more than 324 million euros in cargo was stolen worldwide. Converted, the average damage amount is 140,808 euros. "This is not just about the stolen cargo," emphasizes policy advisor Marko van Leeuwen of the Dutch Association of Insurers. "Often there is also damage to the vehicle itself. And moreover, the downtime of the truck also entails the necessary costs."
Suffering for driver
Even more important, he thinks, is the suffering for the driver. "Cargo theft can have a lot of impact. In the Netherlands, most thefts take place due to the breaking open of parked trucks. Sometimes even when the driver is asleep. Last year, for example, 114 computer terminals were stolen from a truck in a parking lot in Asten (North Brabant) while the driver was sleeping."
Theft prevention in road transport
Figures from TAPA show that ninety percent of the reported cargo thefts did not have their cargo secured. According to Van Leeuwen, this could be done a lot better. "Good prevention measures are of great importance. Consistently applying a number of rules of thumb can often prevent a lot of misery. This applies both when planning a trip and when outsourcing a cargo."
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