IOC security group co-chaired by Adrian Sherratt DPD and Andy Magromallis Rico delivered a packed agenda, ninety minutes of national police keynotes with full update of the latest parcel theft reporting codes. 40 billion deliveries a year to the door, 400 thousand vans at final mile for door delivering parcels. It was a must-attend for any and all the members of express sector security teams. Attendees from same day CitySprint to big next day parcel carriers including Fedex and Yodel, fulfilment at Diamond, food at Sainsburies all in the mix.
Chief Insp Patrick Holdaway talked new measure of theft in express.
‘It's been a parcel stolen’ - tell them ‘it's theft of mail’
‘It's massively important you take the time to report parcel theft on the new crime code.’
Talking about the new measure of theft in parcel.
Theft of parcel has been recorded in theft of motor-vehicle, its been hard to extract knowledge of parcel crime from general motor-vehicle theft. During lockdown we saw an increase in parcel crime so with some lobbying, the new crime code has been made live. I believe 90% of parcel crime is likely to be business related. Its massively important for you to tale the time to report parcel and mail theft on the new code. When you call the parcel crime in, be sure to mention this is parcel, not motor-vehicle. Talking about the latest IOC drive for safety at door with the Children’s Society on recognising vulnerable young adults, its time to look at other relationships
Keynote by Serious Organised Acquisitive Crime Team (OPAL) Supt Neil Austin & D.Sgt Tom Grundey.
Superintendent Neil Austin, ‘I am a massive fan of partnership working’
OPAL is the national unit set up two years ago looking at organised criminals that cross borders and police forces, there is regular bulletin that the IOC sends out to senior fellows directly. Supt Austin, ‘Policing has changed in the last few years, I understand frustration around reporting crimes that are national when you have to deal with 43 UK police forces.’ The Supt delivered a short case study on an individual who committed three crimes in one area and had 47 crimes across other regions, OPAL connected these and the individual was brought to justice for all the crimes. The Supt explained intelligence appears to show a great deal of the freight crime begins in singular hot-spots.
Adrian Sherratt asked for help to get national message universally across the different police forces. Could we align a ‘Business stoppers’ stye of ‘crime stoppers’?
D.Sgt Tom Grundey. ‘Its about ownership, priority for us to be effective and use resources in the best way.’
Andy Magromallis asked who can we challenge to push for more resources for the OPAL initiative?
The response was open-ended at this time, but it was recommended that the PCC’s who have just been elected would be a good area to target to raise the profile that the industry is faced with.
Keynote by Ian Stephen, Police Scotland.
Ian asked for input on experience in communication with Police Scotland.
‘The Scottish business resilience centre has been around a few years and is there to support business that have a footprint in Scotland. We have a cyber element and crime prevention element. We also run a dept to look at threat and theft of alcohol and spirits from vehicles. Police Scotland is a single service. Alan Pole is the lead on transport for Scotland.’ Ian talked about van theft in Edinburgh with a case study on parcel vehicle theft.
Adrian Sherratt asked for a regular briefing on geographic crime hot-spots in Scotland.
Patrick Field asked about why crime reference/incident numbers issued by police forces were not being turned into crime numbers or followed up on. It was agreed that this was a much larger conversation, and that it would be an agenda point for the June 8th IOC security group meeting. OPAL have offered some support in reviewing some incident reference numbers to see if there was a follow up that had not made it to the complainant.
Set your diary for the next IOC security group round table on June 8th
