Cargo theft focus of NICB report
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) recently released its 2010 National Cargo Theft report, which recognized that 747 cargo thefts occurred in the United States last year. Resulting in an annual loss of approximately $171 million, these incidents can occur anytime freight is in transit, regardless of shipment mode, the NICB said.
The NICB identified Memphis, Tenn.; Atlanta; Dallas; Los Angeles and Chicago as the cities with the highest number of cargo thefts.
California ranked as the state with the most incidents, reporting 247 thefts in 2010; with 91 thefts, Texas was a very distant second. Twelve states reported no cargo thefts in 2010, the NICB said.
Although cargo thefts can occur in a number of transportation modes — rail, truck or air — the NICB report identified situations in which theft is most common. To NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle, it’s all about recognizing when cargo is vulnerable to theft and taking proactive steps to protect it.
Joe Wehrle
After all, he said, “Cargo theft is not only a property crime that hurts the national economy — it can have a serious impact on public health and safety.”
“In one case, a load of insulin was stolen and stored at a warehouse while the thieves made arrangements to sell it on the black market,” Wehrle said in a statement. “There is no way to know if it was properly refrigerated during storage, and unsuspecting consumers may have been at tremendous risk had they used tainted insulin.”
Cargo thefts also result in a 20-percent merchandise markup for customers.
