Recent reports indicate that violent crime across major cities is in retreat, but theft continues to soar, and truckers appear to be a high-priority target.
An analysis released by the Council on Criminal Justice notes that 20 of 36 cities surveyed show a decrease in homicides through the first half of 2023. By that same token, motor theft rose by another 33.5 percent when compared to the same period in 2022. And last year was not necessarily a slow year for thieves. Seven major cities experienced a 100 percent increase in grand theft auto, while assault with a deadly weapon, burglaries, and domestic violence decreased modestly.
“The downward trends in violent crime we’re seeing as the pandemic recedes should not dim the intensity of our commitment to reduce violence across the country,” Council on Criminal Justice Research Specialist Ernesto Lopez reportedly said. “Although the levels of homicide and other violent crime are well below historical peaks, they remain intolerably high, especially in poorer communities of color.”
The freight transportation industry, by contrast, appears to be suffering another rash of cargo theft incidents. According to Cargo Net’s 2023 Second Quarter Supply Chain Risk Trends Analysis, the trucking industry is experiencing a 57 percent surge in cargo theft compared to 2022.
“It’s unprecedented. We’re at a 10-year high for cargo theft right now. And I think what is being referred to primarily when we talk about an unprecedented increase is the unprecedented increase in what we call strategic cargo theft.,” Scott Cornell, a crime and theft specialist at Travelers, reportedly said. “They go straight out, take it where it’s sitting, truck stops, parking lots, distribution centers, drop lots, you name it. They physically go out. They steal the tractor and the trailer or through PIL fridge they open the rear doors, and they steal part of the load. All those are what we consider in the street theft category”
Aggressive street theft puts truckers in a dangerous situation. Gangs of cargo thieves have been known to monitor common unlit and remote areas where truckers are sometimes forced to hole up for the night. When a trucker cannot find a legitimate parking space, cargo theft gangs are lying in wait. Truckers are urged to use rest stops with well-lit parking lots and use shoulders in conjunction with other big rigs. Remember to keep doors and windows locked and remain vigilant about your surroundings.
https://www.ccjdigital.com/business/video/15636028/trucking-cargo-theft-highest-in-a-decade
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