Netherlands, Germany Lead as European Theft Hot Spots

The newest FreightWatch International EMEA Intelligence report is out, and the news isn’t good for the Netherlands and Germany. In the first quarter of 2015, the Netherlands had 31% of the cargo thefts in Europe, the Mideast and Africa, followed closely by Germany at 26%.

The U.K. had the next greatest cargo theft risk, with 11% of thefts occurring there in the first quarter, followed by Italy (8%), Spain (7%), France (4%), Austria (4%), South Africa (4%), Russia (3%) and Poland (2%). There were a total of 284 cargo theft incidents recorded in the EMEA region between January and March of this year, with electronics being the most highly targeted product category. In 70% of the electronics thefts, the incident occurred at an unsecured rest area or service station when the curtain of the trailer was slashed or the backdoor lock broken. Most happened while the drivers were asleep in the cabs.

Food/drinks and building/industrial were the second- and third-most stolen cargos, at 31 and 30 recorded incidents, respectively. Clothing/shoes had 24 thefts recorded, followed by auto/parts at 20 and miscellaneous at 19.

There were also 32 recorded non-theft incidents in which thieves sliced the curtain of soft-sided trailers to check the load but didn’t steal anything. Facility burglaries, however, rose dramatically to 62 incidents, up from 47 in the fourth quarter of 2014. Most of those occurred in Germany (25), followed by the U.K. at 11 and Austria at 8. Additionally, hijackings were almost double the number recorded in the prior quarter, with the greatest number of incidents occurring in Italy (15), followed by France and South Africa (7 each), Poland (3), Spain, Russia and Germany (2 each). Thefts of trailers occurred 25 times in the first quarter, with more than half happening in Germany (8) and the Netherlands (7) combined. Violent truck robberies were reported six times: twice in Italy, twice in France, once in Germany and once in South Africa. Half of the violent thefts were of tobacco.

International claims can be daunting if you don’t have someone who can speak the language or is schooled in navigating the legal system. It’s important to have a broker who can assist and who builds ease of claims into your shipping insurance program. At Roanoke Trade, we don’t just sell a product then step out of the picture. We are your business partner for comprehensive protection of your assets—from analyzing your risk to placing your coverage to assisting with your claims. Additionally, we are part of a network that extends over 120 countries that can connect you with the know-how abroad that provides a complete analysis of the risks you face in a foreign country.

We invite you to learn more about us, our experienced talent in this highly specialized area, our creative solutions, and the value we will bring to you and your clients. Please contact us at 1-800-ROANOKE (800-762-6653).