30 March 2012

After operating successfully since 2007, TruckPol,  the crime statistics, crime information and crime trend monitoring office is shut down. Their website and call desk will be closing today.

TruckPol filled a void in the Freight crime reporting world and was formed when so many Freight Companies, Truckers, Insurance firms and Haulage yards felt they deserved some special Police focus on how their industry responded to changing crime trends. Truckpol was adopted  by AVCIS and funded by the Freight Industry with a partial Home Office grant.

A sad loss of a quality information stream.

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Official notice from Truckpol’s Detective Sergeant Sue Coutts:

” Many of you will already be aware that toward the end of last year we raised concerns in relation to the
future of TruckPol,  following the withdrawal of our Home Office grant in the last round of Government cut-backs on small units and special programs.
Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to encourage new sponsors and identify alternative funding streams following the withdrawal of our grant, we have been unsuccessful. The result of that is that we can no longer afford to operate TruckPol and will therefore be closing as of the 31st March.
Thank you to all those Police Officers, staff and Industry contacts for all your hard work in sending us regular data and intelligence. The support and efforts to keep TruckPol in place is also very much appreciated.
Although TruckPol is closing, I can assure you that AVCIS itself, remains viable and continues to operate as normal. I will remain, in the short term, as part of their Intelligence team .”

Freight drivers carrying goods along major transport routes are urged to be extra vigilant as preparations for Christmas get underway. TruckPol, the UK’s freight crime intelligence unit, has warned that freight drivers will be prime targets as organised criminals take advantage of the transportation of festive goods in the coming weeks.

Road freight crime costs the UK economy up to £250 million each year, with the average loss of each crime over £22,500.* It is a recognised trend that the number of offences increases in the period before Christmas, a trend of which road freight drivers should be aware.

“With fewer daylight hours as winter approaches, drivers should be extra careful on their travels,” said Detective Sergeant Sue Coutts, Head of TruckPol. “We’re advising drivers to stay alert to the potential threat, not to leave keys in their cab’s ignition and to always lock their vehicle, both while driving and stationary, even if it’s just left for a split second.

“Additionally, we encourage drivers to use secure police-approved parking whenever possible. We are working with police forces across the UK to gather intelligence on freight crime and continue introducing preventative measures, as well as collaborating with the Road Haulage Association in the promotion of secure parking.”

TruckPol issues the following guidelines for drivers:
• Plan your route in advance: avoid regular routes and stopping places, which could be under the observation of organised crime gangs
• Do not discuss your goods: avoid conversing with others about your load and where it is destined
• Do not leave keys in the ignition: nearly half of stolen vehicles are taken when the keys have been left in them
• Lock before you leave: ALWAYS lock your cab, even if you will only be away for a few minutes. Your personal effects are a target for thieves
• Protect your identity: keep documents and company clothing hidden. If stolen, thieves could impersonate you and collect your loads
• Use Park Mark: The Park Mark Safer Parking Scheme ensures the parking area has been assessed by police and processes are in place to make the location safer for drivers
• Report any suspicious behaviour: whether you believe a vehicle is following you or there are unknown persons acting suspiciously near your depot, inform your transport office and/or TruckPol via their online form www.truckpol.com/contact.htm

TruckPol, a division of the ACPO Vehicle Intelligence Service (AVCIS), was created to collate and disseminate statistical data and intelligence on road freight crime within the UK in order to drive down offences.

If you are interested in more information about TruckPol, or wish to attend its bi-monthly update meetings, please contact TruckPol on +44(0)2476 826 131 or truckpol@avcis.pnn.police.uk. 

*TruckPol data on file www.truckpol.com

The Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS) is celebrating its breakthrough with the insurance industry after its partner NFU Mutual received an award for Claims Initiative of the Year at the 2011 British Insurance Awards, held on 6 July 2011 at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

AVCIS, the UK’s police unit dedicated to vehicle crime, has been working with insurance company NFU Mutual on a joint Rural Crime Campaign since 2010 to gather intelligence on agricultural theft, recover stolen vehicles and bring offenders to justice. With £1.5 million of machinery stolen in the UK every week, it’s a problem high on both AVCIS’ and NFU Mutual’s agenda.

In 2010 alone tractors worth a total of £1.7 million were recovered while the initiative has led to a £50,000 reduction in tractor theft each month. It’s this success that has earned the coveted award, which recognises outstanding performance and acts as a benchmark by which the industry judges itself.

AVCIS’ Head of Unit, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Hooper, said: “Since AVCIS launched in 2006 we have been banging on the door of the insurance industry in order to join forces.
In NFU Mutual we found a partner willing to trial the initiative and now it is reaping the rewards of AVCIS’ specialist support. The unit is tracking down criminals targeting agricultural equipment, recovering vehicles, bringing offenders to justice and saving NFU Mutual money in the process.

“We’re delighted by the success of the initiative so far. However, the fight against vehicle crime is by no means over. We are still looking to work with further insurance companies in order to drive down vehicle crime overall, from offences against freight vehicles all the way through to your everyday run-around.”

The AVCIS and NFU Mutual initiative was selected from five finalists by a judging panel consisting of market experts and practitioners, analysts, consultants, industry commentators and political and trade union representatives.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Many thanks to all the Police, Industry and Press delegates that attended our popular and heavily oversubscribed annual Vehicle Crime Conference – kindly hosted by, and partnered with Thatcham,the  Insurance Industry’s vehicle safety and security research centre.

As usual, the lecture content was chosen to be broad enough to touch the key areas of present day Policing intelligence; deep enough to give audience some essential takeaways; tall enough to challenge assumptions about how vehicle crime is changing.

We thought our conference had improved and was truly useful and apposite.

 - here’s what delegates actually thought :

“Good event, very interesting presentations”                   
“Well worth my attendance. Well done to you all”           
“Quality of exhibitors also excellent”           
“An informative overview of AVCIS and latest trends”           
“A very worthwhile forum”           
“Very good content overall and well organised”           
“Overall excellent”           
“A very informative day”           
“Very good presentations and updates. Found the info useful to apply at a practical level within my area as well as to pass on”           
“AVCIS needs advertising to the PC on the street”                     
“Professionally done with some excellent speakers”

and …… “Not enough biscuits”

The AVCIS Vehicle Crime Conference 2012 will be held at a similar date next year.

Details  on this website,  as theyre confirmed

The workman’s favourite is the most popular vehicle to be stolen in the first quarter of 2011,* illustrating that it’s not just those with high-end vehicles that need to be wary of theft. Not only does a van such as the Ford Transit prove to be valuable in terms of spare parts or as scrap metal, but the lure of potential tools and other contents stored in the back makes it irresistible for thieves.

“Vehicles appearing in the list may surprise motorists,” said Head of AVCIS, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Hooper. “Although high-end cars are stolen to order by criminals, those driving more affordable vehicles should not be complacent. Whatever vehicle you drive, security should always be a priority.”

The list has been released as part of Car Crime Awareness Week, which runs 13-19 June 2011, in order to raise general awareness of vehicle crime and remind motorists to be vigilant and security-conscious. 

Top ten stolen vehicles in Q1 2011
1) Ford Transit
2) Vauxhall Astra
3) Ford Fiesta
4) Volkswagen Golf
5) Vauxhall Corsa
6) BMW 3 Series
7) Ford Focus
8) Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
9) Ford Mondeo
10) Honda Civic

As part of Car Crime Awareness Week, AVCIS is advising motorists to follow these guidelines to prevent their vehicles from being targeted by criminals:
• Ensure that car keys are not left in sight within your house: thieves often fish keys through letterboxes and open windows
• If you have a garage, store your car there whenever possible
• With the summer months approaching, people often leave doors and windows open: ensure your keys aren’t easily accessible for opportunist thieves, but equally do not hide them and put yourself at risk of harm from a determined thief
• Lock your car whenever you leave it. Even if you are simply unloading the car, make sure that you remove the keys and lock the vehicle. If your car is stolen through these means if often invalidates your insurance

*1 January – 31 March 2011 AVCIS data on file

AVCIS, the Association of Police Officer’s Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service, has reported that BMW is the criminal’s vehicle manufacturer of choice when attempting to purchase a vehicle through fraudulently acquired finance in the UK.

Between 2008 and 2011, AVCIS has identified that 181 BMWs were acquired through finance fraud, as well as 176 Mercedes-Benz and 174 Audis, which represent some of the most popular high-end vehicles on the road.

“Many of the models which are being acquired by finance fraud are classed as aspirational vehicles and in a less than buoyant economic climate, people are providing misleading or false information in an attempt to qualify for products that they normally would not be able to purchase,” says Detective Chief Inspector Mark Hooper, Head of AVCIS.

Finance fraud is a serious offence and according to AVCIS’ stakeholder, the Finance and Leasing Association (FLA), there were almost 10,000 fraudulent applications to motor finance providers during 2010, worth a total of over £116 million. However, arduous checks by finance companies kept the number of actual cases of fraud down to 832, worth a total of £14.6 million, illustrating the power of the industry to clamp down on crime.*

AVCIS VFU has already recovered 890 vehicles worth over £14 million and made over 260 arrests and continues to work alongside the FLA to reduce the number of vehicles obtained through fraud. “We have worked with the FLA effectively over the past four years and have had a huge amount of success in combating vehicle finance fraud. The message is clear: don’t lie to get motor finance, you will be caught,” added DCI Hooper.

These figures have been releases by AVCIS as part of Car Crime Awareness Week, which runs from 13-19 June 2001. For more information on vehicle crime and AVCIS visit www.avcis.police.uk.

The top 10 marques obtained from fraudulently acquired finance
1. BMW
2. Mercedes-Benz
3. Audi
4. Ford
5. Volkswagen
6. Vauxhall
7. Toyota
8. Renault
9. Land Rover
10. Lexus

Buyers should be extra vigilant when purchasing touring caravans following an increase of stolen trailers imported into the UK from Europe warns the Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS).

With British laws changing to allow wider caravans to be towed on the roads, demand for European-style vehicles has rocketed, opening a new market for thieves. Gangs are in operation throughout Europe stealing desired caravans, destroying the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and importing them into the UK to sell on to unsuspecting holidaymakers.

“Caravanning is an enormously popular pursuit in the UK, with some 25,000 caravans sold in the UK each year.* Criminals are taking advantage of the UK’s new demand for European vehicles and often thefts overseas are taking place outside of trading hours so that no early notification is received by the police. This is then allowing the stolen units to enter the UK without suspicion,” says AVCIS’ Leisure Vehicle Officer, Tim Booth.

AVCIS is currently working with organisations such as the National Caravan Council as well as European manufacturers in order to provide caravans with more vigilant documentation, such as identification marks in the caravan’s structure and identity tags. However, there are a number of things that the public can look out for when purchasing a European caravan:

• Don’t be tempted to buy a bargain that seems too good to be true: it probably is!
• Review the chassis stamp to see if it has been removed or altered completely
• Ensure that the original registration document is provided. Unlike UK caravans, European caravans are registered as trailers so must have an official log book
• Ask the seller for identification and proof of their address
• Ask to see photographic evidence of the seller using the caravan. Few caravan users wouldn’t have photographic records of their travels

This warning from AVCIS has been issued as part of Car Crime Awareness Week, which runs from 13-19 June 2011. For more information on vehicle crime and AVCIS visit www.avcis.police.uk.

* Statistics provided by the National Caravan Council

Almost 9,000 vehicles across the UK were stolen in just 36 days at the beginning of 2011, equating to one stolen every six minutes, reports the Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS).

The statistics have been revealed ahead of AVCIS’ Car Crime Awareness Week, which takes place on 13-19 June 2011. The initiative aims to raise the public’s awareness of vehicle crime methods in order to drive down offences. 

This new data illustrates that 50 per cent of thefts were made when a vehicle was left at the owner’s home address or close by, including 17.6 per cent through the burglary of properties to obtain car keys.

A third were stolen when vehicles were away from the home and four per cent of crimes during the 36 day sample were made by opportunist thieves, where keys were left in or within easy reach of the vehicle. Shockingly, this would mean that annually 3,400 thefts could be easily prevented through heightened awareness.

“These figures demonstrate that vehicle crime continues to be an issue across the UK,” said Detective Chief Inspector Mark Hooper, Head of AVCIS. “Criminals will use a variety of means to steal cars, from towing them away or simply driving them off when owners leave the keys in the ignition to burgling houses and sophisticated attacks on manufacturers’ security systems.

“Our aim is to increase general awareness, including encouraging motorists to take simple precautions and advise manufacturers of criminals’ methods so they can continue to help drive down vehicle crime.
 
In the lead up and during Car Crime Awareness Week AVCIS will release information on the current state of vehicle crime relating to freight vehicles, agricultural equipment, caravans and motorhomes, as well as to the general motorist.
For more information on vehicle crime and AVCIS visit www.avcis.police.uk or the Car Crime Awareness Week Facebook page www.facebook.com/CarCrimeAwarenessWeek.

UK lost or stolen vehicles 1 January 2011 – 5 February 2011
(36 day sample*)

*Statistics have been generated from the Police National Computer using keywords. Additional offences may have occurred and are not identified within this report.