RHA Recovery Group says "Give us a break Mr Livingstone"
Document Actions
Lorry hi-jacks - RHA calls for better co-ordinated police response
The appalling hi-jack of a lorry on the A14 yesterday, the second in less than two weeks, underlines the need for a co-ordinated, national response to policing in case of attacks on lorry drivers and their loads.
The two trucks were hi-jacked in Cambridgeshire and then driven to the north west of England.
Only last week, RHA security manager Chrys Rampley urged police to improve the way they respond to such crimes.
Speaking at the UK Road Policing Conference in Birmingham, she said: "There is clear evidence that criminals will travel the length and breadth of the country in search of easy pickings.
"Anywhere that has a lorry park or motorway service area is a potential target. In the UK, the problem has been made worse due to a general lack of availability of safe, secure lorry parking.
"One major issue the industry encounters with this type of crime is the lack of communication and co-operation, particularly between forces, when stolen property is moved across several police boundaries. No one wants to take ownership. It would be helpful if a police protocol could be adopted.
"Police response has been inconsistent but where the response has been co-ordinated, some really excellent results have been achieved" Rampley said.
She concluded: "With your help, we need to make it harder for criminals to commit road freight crime, take the profit out of it and at the same time increase the risk to the criminals threatening our industry and the individuals that work in it."
Ends
The Road Haulage Association - supporting the industry on which the UK depends.
For more details, contact Kate Gibbs, RHA Communications Manager on...
Tel: 01932 838917
Mob: 07979 531451
