According to the latest figures:

Freight crime value of goods stolen has risen to over £100 million

• 2024 saw a significant rise in the value of goods stolen from lorries – up nearly two-thirds to £111.5 million.
• Freight crime is at record levels with loses exceeding £1 billion since 2020.

Now the MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth, Rachel Taylor MP, has tabled a Bill in parliament calling for action to tackle the scourge of organised freight crime (18 March).

The Bill is a Ten-Minute Rule Bill, a type of Bill used by backbench MPs to bring attention to issues of importance to them. The Bill is being supported by local haulage businesses in North Warwickshire and Bedworth, and by the Road Haulage Association (RHA).

Ms Taylor’s Bill calls on the government to introduce a specific crime code for freight crime, something the police and the freight industry say would make a huge difference in helping them tackle the issue.

Without a specific crime code, large-scale thefts of freight goods are often categorised in the same way as thefts from personal vehicles, hindering the ability of the police to track and ultimately catch freight criminals.

Recent figures from the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Police Service (NaVCIS) suggest that between 2023 and 2024 the total estimated value of goods stolen by freight criminals increased by 63%, to more than £110 million. However, without a dedicated crime code the true extent of the problem remains difficult to quantify.

Ms Taylor said the huge increase in freight crime showed that at present criminals saw targeting the freight sector as a low risk, high reward crime. Far from the perception of freight crime as being low level and opportunistic, she said, it was actually being perpetrated by organised criminal gangs with a high level of skill and expertise.

Richard Smith, RHA Managing Director, said: “Last year saw a significant increase in the value of goods stolen from lorries – over £110 million.

“Freight crime is becoming more serious, more organised, and more intelligence led. This is bad news for the industry and bad news for consumers.

“We’ll only know the true scale of the issue once the police have a specific crime code, and we welcome and support the steps that Rachel Taylor MP is taking to deliver on this.”The RHA has led the campaign calling for a national, co-ordinated approach to tackling freight crime and is again calling on policymakers to consider the needs of drivers and hauliers who play an essential role in the supply chain and in the wider economy.