New measures to focus on haulage theft gangs

The cost of freight theft in the UK had risen to £111m in 2024

Measures are being explored to fight back against criminal gangs who are targeting haulage firms, an MP has said.

Rachel Taylor, who represents North Warwickshire and Bedworth for Labour, said a new "flagging system" was being trialled to identify how widespread the issue was.

It came after a BBC investigation found gangs were buying up haulage firms and posing as truckers to steal lorryloads of goods - one of many methods used to target freight transport.

"There isn't a single haulage firm I've spoken to who haven't been impacted by this crime," Taylor said.

"Almost every single driver has had something happen to them, it makes them fearful to go to work and it's costing those small companies massive amounts."

She said it was a "massive" problem in her constituency and it was pushing some companies out of business.

MP Rachel Taylor said freight theft was a "massive" problem

Taylor confirmed she had met ministers this week and said the government was "taking this seriously".

"We're now having a trial of a flagging system so that we can flag what is freight crime and what is other theft from vehicles," she added.

She said differentiating between the two would help police and the government to assess how widespread the issue was so they could co-ordinate a national response.

Abi Brown, a Conservative member of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said logistics was "such an important sector for our region".

She said a lot of lorries were often laid up at the side of the road, making them vulnerable to thieves.

Jack Rose, Green Party councillor on Staffordshire County Council, said measures needed to be introduced to make sure hotspots could be identified and also called for improvements to facilities for lorry drivers.

'Resources stretched'

The BBC previously spoke to Alison - not her real name who runs a Midlands transport firm that was tricked by fake subcontractors.

She said it was "incredible" that "a gang can go in and target a company so blatantly".

Footage obtained by the BBC also showed criminals breaking into lorries waiting in traffic, cutting locks and entering depots before stealing trailers packed with goods.

The cost of freight theft to companies in the UK rose to £111m in 2024 from £68m in 2023.

Deputy Chief Constable Jayne Meir, of the National Police Chiefs' Council, previously said police resources had been "stretched" and forces had not been able to direct the resources to tackle those crimes.

She said additional funding had been allocated for Operation Opal - a police initiative tackling serious organised acquisitive crime.

"What's most important is that we start to tackle the organised element of this and actually tackle it at a higher level," she added.

Politics Midlands is on BBC One in the region from 10:00 BST on Sunday, and available afterwards on BBC iPlayer