Escalation of goods theft: Losses in February reached 9 billion euros, a growing threat to the logistics industry

During February of this year, cases of theft of goods totaling almost 9 billion euros were detected in the EMEA economic zone, which exceeds last year’s figures by almost 80%.
According to research by the Transport Protection Association (TAPA), the number of thefts increased sharply in February and March 2023 in the 29 countries of the EMEA region, which covers the economic zone of Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Particular attention is paid to the situation in Germany, where, according to the calculations of the Working Group on the Prevention of Theft in Freight Transport and Logistics, which includes the Federal Association of Road Transport, Logistics and Recycling (BGL), goods trucks come under attack every 20 minutes. The estimated value of the stolen goods is 1.3 billion euros per year.
“Transport companies must immediately take appropriate measures to counter this trend… Security locks do not always effectively protect cargo, and often a quick tear of the tarpaulin is enough. For transport companies, such thefts can lead to the loss of customers or serious damage to their reputation,” said Zenke Kleimann, Managing Director of Euro Shell Germany.