National Business Crime Solution Pledges Support For TruckPol As New Partnership Helps Fight Freight Crime

TruckPol, the joint police and haulage industry partnership dedicated to fighting freight crime, is set to re-open its doors following sponsorship and support from the National Business Crime Solution (NBCS).

The announcement, which follows TruckPol’s closure in March 2012 due to a withdrawal of Home Office funding, will see the NBCS launch a freight and logistics crime desk which will be tasked to working with local constabularies to help UK businesses tackle freight and logistics crime and identify key hot spots and criminal trends through centralised and collective data sharing.

Catherine Bowen, Policy & Stakeholder Director at the National Business Crime Solution, said: “We are delighted to be re-launching TruckPol. However, the success of TruckPol is dependent on having a regular and consistent flow of crime data from both the police and industry. That’s why we have today contacted each Chief Constable announcing the re-launch of TruckPol and requesting their support through the regular supply of freight crime data.

By working with TruckPol, we can continue to build a comprehensive source of criminal data and by encouraging participation by local constabularies we can regularly report on current trends and issues to both the police and its industry partners.”

DCC Sue Fish, Nottinghamshire Police and National Policing Lead for Business Crime Reduction said, “We speak of collaboration not isolation. The National Business Crime Solution re-launch of TruckPol is welcomed as it adds the vehicle crime dimension that we need to provide the whole intelligence picture necessary to address business crime.

The fact that the business community are willing to support the re-introduction of TruckPol financially with a clear desire that it is run by the NBCS is testament to the developing momentum that the public private intelligence partnership is having on addressing business crime in all its forms”.

The NBCS is underpinned by a live information and intelligence-sharing platform, which is used by a number of UK retailers and businesses for crime data sharing. Registered users can submit their business crime data into the system and this information is then collated, analysed and disseminated to other participating business members locally, regionally, nationally or by sector.  There have already been many instances where the NBCS has helped the UK business community identify and prosecute prolific cross-border offenders. In one recent case, intervention by the NBCS led to several arrests of cross border criminals plus property worth £200,000 being recovered.

The TruckPol partnership will enable the NBCS to provide analysis and research services specific to freight and logistics crime data and issue timely alerts, bulletins and reports highlighting ‘live time’ incidents, hotspots and crime trends. By working together, and enabling access to shared data, the industry can support the police and commercial organisations by identifying prolific offenders and providing accurate evidence that results in successful investigations and prosecutions.

Mike Marshall, Security Director at Yodel said “By syndicating data around logistics crime we can better protect ourselves, gain traction from the Police to investigate effectively what is in many cases organised crime groups operating across many forces. Yodel believe in working together both with partners and the authorities to reduce crime in the logistics industry and as such fully support the National Business Crime Solution”.

Alerts will also be disseminated to the industry and law enforcement agencies to increase their awareness of criminal and other suspicious activities.

CC Suzette Davenport, Gloucestershire Police and National lead for Roads Policing in England and Wales said, “Many criminals use the road network to commit their crimes. The intelligent and proactive use of roads policing resources can disrupt criminal groups and deny them free use of the roads helping to prevent and detect crime and keep communities safe.

The use of the strategic road network is integral to the commission of serious organised crime and freight crime alone costs the UK economy an estimated £1 billion annually.

As the national lead for roads policing I would like to endorse my full support for the re-launch of TruckPol, a private sector initiative, led by UK business, providing valuable flows of information and intelligence on those criminals who travel across the road network.

I am sure that such information sharing between all partners will promote joint enforcement activity and provide cost effective interventions as we strive to disrupt criminal organisations using the roads.”

Chrys Rampley, Road Haulage Association said: “The RHA has been a leading supporter of TruckPol since its inception and, as we stressed to the parliamentary transport committee in 2012, we believe it was an essential focal point and needed to be maintained for the collection and sharing of information on crime against the haulage industry and how it can be best combated. Since the closure of TruckPol in 2012, the industry has received little or no intelligence on freight and haulage crime trends or hotspots. We are excited to get TruckPol back up and running to strengthen the fight against freight and business crime.

“The RHA will be working alongside the NBCS and the police service. As part of that, we are launching our own online, easy-to-use reporting service for members. Information which will go directly to TruckPol and assist with the fighting of crime.”

John Traynor, Chair of the RHA Security Forum, said: “As Chair of the RHA Security Forum and Director of Security TNT UK I am delighted that TruckPol has been resurrected as it and its previous output was invaluable to the industry. Integrating TruckPol into the NBCIB is absolutely the right thing to do as this will further enhance the information/intelligence sharing, analysis and dissemination which will be to the benefit of the freight Industry as well as the wider Business community.”

For more information on TruckPol and the NBCS, contact Catherine Bowen, Policy & Stakeholder Director – National Business Crime Solution at Catherine.bowen@nationalbusinesscrimesolution.com