UK thieves target delivery trucks during Christmas season: report

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Gang-related raids on fast-moving delivery trucks in the United Kingdom have been increasing in recent weeks, as criminals target the shipment of expensive goods ahead of Christmas.

From the start of the year until September, there have been at least 27 “rollover raids” reported to authorities, and the number has spiked in recent weeks, The Times newspaper reported.

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The stunt usually involves gangs using at least three vehicles to box in trucks on major roadways. One person climbs out through a sunroof or hatch and onto the truck. The thief then pries open the rear door and throws high-end contents off the truck before making a getaway.

The National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NAVCIS) received at least 3,055 cargo crime notifications within the first nine months of the year that amounted to about $88.7 million in losses for businesses.

Given heightened security at other points in the supply chain, gangs seem to be targeting shipments during overnight deliveries. Less-experienced drivers hired to accommodate an increase in online shopping sales during the coronavirus pandemic may have received less security training, according to the Times.

Gangs are likely receiving inside information about when there are scheduled shipments of PlayStations, TVs, cosmetics, mobile phones, cigarettes and other expensive goods, Chrys Rampley, a former security manager at the Road Haulage Association, told the newspaper. 

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NAVCIS is now warning drivers and trucking companies to increase security and vary routes to prevent future attacks.

In November, a gang forced a truck carrying about $6.7 million worth of Apple products off the M1, the major motorway connecting London to Leeds. The driver was tied up and the cargo was stolen, police said. 

A truck driving overnight from Leicestershire and Norfolk was targeted in a raid on Sept. 25, when police said the back trailer was entered and “high-value parcels” were stolen. No arrests have been made.

Gangs have been honing in on products from certain department stores and technology companies, and rollover raids aren’t the only tactics used by thieves this holiday season.    

In Milton Keynes, a truck driver was held at knifepoint last month when thieves broke into his vehicle outside the warehouse for John Lewis & Partners.

In October, another driver, a 59-year-old man, was attacked by the same distribution center and was treated at the hospital for a fractured eye socket. His truck was stolen and driven a few miles before its cargo of more than 200 televisions worth nearly $183,000 was then transferred to another vehicle, the Times reported.

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Those driving smaller delivery vans are also at risk. Last month, at least 10 crimes targeting deliveries happened within 10 days, including one when a female driver was struck by her own van. A thief jumped into the vehicle after the driver had exited and left the door unlocked. Police in that area issued an alert about an increase in “looting” of delivery vans, especially as Christmas approaches.

Northamptonshire Police issued a warning on Dec. 1 to delivery drivers after a series of robberies targeting parked trucks in Kettering. In one incident, “a parked lorry had thousands of pounds worth of toys stolen from it while the driver was asleep in the cab.”