Cargo theft on the rise in Canada, U.S.: report

Cargo theft is on the rise in Canada, although the United States remains one of the countries most at risk for that crime, according to a recent report from FreightWatch International.

The U.S. reached a new record for cargo theft activity last year, with 946 theft incidents, according to analysis from FreightWatch, which offers logistics security services to reduce the risk of crimes such as cargo theft.

“Canadian theft data, while still sparse due to a lack of a centralized recording or information delivery system, indicates cargo theft is on the rise in this country as well,” the company’s report on global cargo theft risk notes.

Its report indicates that recorded theft incidents rose 18% between 2011 and 2012. While that’s lower than levels recorded south of the border, cargo theft here still “presents a significant, and growing, threat to shippers,” according to the company.

FreightWatch mainly based its analysis on data from its own cargo security services provided to customers, and because of that limitation, the figures for cargo theft incidents are likely even higher than those stated in its report, the company noted.

The Canada, theft incidents are typically centered around major metropolitan areas, with minimal theft in rural areas, the report suggests.

Between February and April of this year, FreightWatch has already recorded 176 cargo theft incidents in the U.S., according to a separate report from the company. The average loss value per incident was $120,990.

Of those incidents, 27% were related to the food and drink industry, while the electronics industry experienced 12% of the incidents.

Texas and Florida experienced the most incidents, recording 29 and 27 thefts respectively. Incidents involving trailer thefts were most common, although 5% of the thefts involved “deceptive pickups,” according to the U.S. report.

Globally, central and South American countries tend to be high risk, especially for cargo theft incidents involving violence, according to the company’s global report.

Deceptive pickups, where individuals set up roadblocks and pose as police officers or other authority figures to commit theft, are also common in that region of the world, the report notes.

In Europe, cargo theft incidents increased 24% over 2011 last year, from 555 to 689, FreightWatch’s analysis suggests.

Notably, the United Kingdom, which had the highest number of recorded thefts in 2011, saw a major drop last year, which the company attributes to the elimination of Truckpol, a national freight intelligence crime unit that ceased work in March 2012.