More than one third of businesses have had a van stolen in the last 12 months, according to Logistics UK’s Van Security Report, launched this week. To understand the nature and scale of van crime, the business group collated data from police forces across the UK and sought real-life examples and insights from van users through a Van Security Survey.
Denise Beedell, Policy Manager for Vans and Urban at Logistics UK, comments: “Van content theft has, on average, cost businesses £4,250 in the last 12 months. In addition to initial cost implications, logistics businesses also face increased operational costs and potential staff and customer retention difficulties as a result of these thefts. Currently, it is up to individual police forces to decide how to record commercial van crime, resulting in an incomplete picture of the extent of this type of crime. To better highlight the impact of these crimes on van operating businesses, to policy makers at all level of Government, Logistics UK is calling for a UK-wide standard reporting mechanism among all police force areas.”
Ms Beedell continues: “Logistics UK is also calling for the Home Office to allocate a national crime reporting code to allow better understanding of the scale and reach of this crime and to support better allocation of police resources. It must be recognised that this type of crime is not victimless and its impacts are felt keenly by operators and their employees. We will also be looking to work with manufacturers of vehicle and security equipment to explore what features can be developed for commercial vans to minimise van related crimes.”
For more information, and to view the full report, please visit: https://logistics.org.uk/campaigns/forms/van-security-report-download-form
