There has been an increase in both the number of crimes committed on international routes and cargo theft cases lately.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, the number of malicious acts in Russia aimed at cargo theft has grown incredibly since the beginning of 2016 against the year 2015. 25 cases of banditry, 1371 thefts and 1095 frauds were recorded in the first six months of the current year.
Road theft of cargoes made up to 20% of unlawful acts. Thefts are mainly carried out at railway crossings when a vehicle comes to a standstill. Today, M5 “Ural”, M7 “Volga”, M53 “Novosibirsk-Irkutsk” routes are considered to be the most dangerous routes in Russia.
Fraud cases when criminals enter between the freight owner and the consignee eventually stealing the cargo are becoming more frequent.
The crime statistics in the EU also reveals an increase in malicious acts basically due to crime records in the countries of Western Europe (for instance, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Belgium). At the same time, the number of major offences committed by organized criminal groups is growing.
Up to 50% of cargo thefts in the EU are carried out at outdoor parking lots. Alcoholic beverages and food, clothes and footwear, tobacco goods and pharmaceutical drugs are the most popular product groups with the criminals. The total value of cargoes stolen in Europe en route yearly is over 8 billion Euro.