The heist in February of œ4m of Samsung mobile phones from a warehouse in Hayes, Middlesex, highlights that response to such robberies needs to be equally well organised and co-ordinated between the private sector and police.
The heist in February of œ4m of Samsung mobile phones from a warehouse in Hayes, Middlesex, highlights that response to such robberies needs to be equally well organised and co-ordinated between the private sector and police. So argues DC Iain McKinnon, the Essex Police officer in charge of the National Stolen Lorry Load Desk. He says: ?The theft of lorry loads, whether at warehouses, rest stops or on the roads, is becoming increasingly prominent. We have to combat this trend if the thieves are to be apprehended or future crimes prevented.? DC McKinnon said that good quality information and intelligence is vital in the fight against lorry load crime. Without it the police could not target their limited resource. He said: ?Industry and the public are largely unaware of the true scale of the problem and its cost to the country and transport sector.? This database is the only one in the UK providing intelligence to police and industry on lorry load theft, says DC McKinnon. Supporters of this initiative get access to a weekly lorry load list, including sanitised details of incidents reported to the desk; and priority access to quarterly analysis of incidents reported to the desk, which analyses trends and information on the latest criminal methods including force by force analysis and hot spots.
