Taking pains to foil the thieves
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y Michael Matthews
HE BUILD-UP to Christas usually sees an increase I lorry thefts, and is a time F year when operators and rivers need to be 'particu.rly The number of haulage :.hicles recorded as stolen in le Metropolitan Police ristriet alone during last .!.ar totalled 3.094 — a figure hich far exceeds, for (ample, the entire fleet of outhern British Road Serees.
Most of these thefts -217 of them involved 2..hicles in the street. Usually I these cases a loaded hicle which is unattended driven to a convenient lace for the villains to nload the goods. Vehicles olen from private premises arnhered 866, there were II ijackings and the total thie of goods stolen was -ound £1.25m. With more ringent security precauons -and closer co-operaon between management id drivers much of this .ime could have been premted.
One of the most obvious and yet most often -nored — precautions is to Lake sure that the lorry is attended by the driver, or a mate, whenever possible, especially when it is away from the security of a lorry park. The Metropolitan Police have noted that few Continental trucks are stolen: long-distance European drivers usually have someone accompanying them and many of them virtually live in their sleeper cabs.
Once a driver leaves his cab he is opening the door to the opportunist thief. It may seem incredible, but the police have many cases on record where the driver has left the engine running or the winkers or wipers still working, and this is a sure sign to the casual thief that the keys are in the ignition. When a driver has to leave his vehicle he should always make sure that it is locked; and if he is leaving for more than a moment or two it should he immobilized, and any alarm which is fitted should be switched on.
The clearing of goods vehicles from urban streets overnight is helping to reduce the vulnerability of loads as a by-product to the removal of what many regard as a public nuisance; but one still sees loaded trucks in quiet unlit culs-desac and under dark bridges; this is asking for trouble.
Discretion Drivers should he advised to be discreet about the load they are carrying, especially in cafes. Future consignments should also be kept quiet, Giving a lift to an innocent looking hitchhiker may lead to More than a driver has bargained for even exchanging conversation may provide him with clues on how to organize a hijack at a later date. Drivers may also be tricked by strangers who hail them on the pretext that "your load is unsafe" or "a tyre is flat".
Varying a schedule, by changing routes for the same journey and stopping at cafes at different times, will help to foil a prospective attacker. Rut, once again, discretion is important, say the experts: the choice of a lonely road as an option to a busy motorway may be playing into the villain's hands. If a driver notices anything unusual during his journey, such as a vehicle continually following him, he should contact the police.
Since the driver is the key roan in all this, the Road Haulage Association suggests that, from the outset, the company employing him should check his background very carefully. References over at least the previous five years should be sought and any unexplained gaps should be treated with suspicion. When checking references by telephone be sure to look up the number against the name in the telephone directory; a number supplied by a dishonest applicant could simply connect you to his accomplice. The RI-IA advises that operators should draw up a staff enrolment form to suit the company's particular circumstances.
Until you have seen his driving licence and, where appropriate, his hgv licence and have in your possession his P.45, National Health card, and photograph, do not allow a newly engaged driver to take out a vehicle.
Fit an immobilizer (eg a steering lock and fuel strangler) and preferably an
alarm system which does not rely on the driver carrying out anything but the normal procedure to stop his vehicle. If the keys are lost, it is much cheaper to change switches and locks then to lose a load and/ or a vehicle.
Photographs
For many years the R HA Vehicle Security Committee has been advocating a driving licence which would include a photograph of the holder. Details would be printed on special paper with a watermark covering writing on the licence, making it almost impossible to change the particulars. Several applicant for drivers' jobs have recently produced alleged stolen licences and disappeared with the first valuable load.
A Nottingham company,
which mains a high standard of security — to guard against hijacking it puts three men in a cab, sends vehicles out in convoys and uses two-way radio — recently had a van carrying textiles valued at £17,000 stolen from its convoy. It was found that the thief had tricked the firm by using a stolen licence.
Another security hazard is the case of mistaken identity or apparent authority. Numerous cases have been reported concerning drivers stealing vehicles and/or their return loads from company premises.
At present it is far too easy for a thief to pose as a company driver coming to collect his assignment. Wearing company overalls and driving a vehicle in the company's livery need not mean he is employed by them. Once again, if he was made to produce a docu
ment such as the one suggested by the Security Committee, his identity could be verified by the gate guard and any attempt to steal a trailer and its goods would be foiled.
Recently a container holding gold ingots and other precious metal worth up to £200,000, which was held up at Barking. Essex, by an industrial dispute at the docks, was towed away by thieves. The bullion was standing in a container, itself positioned on another trailer in the middle of a warehouse which was almost deserted over that weekend. The docks dispute had meant that it had not been loaded onto the designated ship. The thieves hitched the whole trailer to their own tractive unit and drove off.
Trailers left in laybys are very vulnerable, especially overnight. If there is a need to park them in such places make sure that they are immobilized by using a gadget such as a kingpin lock.
Insurance
Apart from the inconvenience of having property stolen, the haulier will face increases in insurance rates if he has a high claims record. Accident records aside, it is the value of the load carried which mostly concerns insurers.
According to Mr Stevens of National Transit Insurance, a haulier who carries particularly valuable and vulnerable consignments such as wines and spirits and tobacco, may have to pay 20 times the normal insurance cover.
Taking elementary security precautions could save you money, time and bother: ignoring them could prove a false economy in the long run.