TAPA launches secure parking initiative
- Latest News
- Thursday, 20 October 2016
Plans for a new program to increase the number of secure parking locations for trucks and their drivers have been presented to the European Commission in Brussels by the Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) in its initiative to minimise crime losses from supply chains in the Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region.
Addressing LANDSEC, the Commission’s group on land transport security, TAPA outlined its plan to launch a robust secure parking program in the first half of 2017.
Data reported to TAPA’s Incident Information Service (IIS) shows that over 86 per cent of all recorded cargo crimes last year involved trucks. The Association captured intelligence on 807 cases of Theft from Vehicle alone in 2015, representing 53.3 per cent of all crimes in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, as well as 205 incidents involving theft of vehicle, 145 theft from trailer crimes, 81 truck thefts and 61 cases of theft of trailer. The majority of the 60 hijackings reported to TAPA last year also involved attacks on trucks and drivers.
In 57.2 per cent of all recorded cargo crimes in 2015, information provided by companies, law enforcement agencies and insurers stated the location of thefts to be ‘Unsecured Parking’, totalling 866 incidents. One of the causes of crime, TAPA says, is the lack of credible, measurable secure parking sites in the EMEA region, and particularly Europe, making it extremely difficult for companies to determine the security level of a parking site without a physical inspection.
TAPA’s secure parking program will be open to all parking owners. The Association says its aim is to identify secure parking places through certification, partnership and mutual recognition. It will recognise existing secure parking locations and encourage other parking site operators to update the security of their locations to attract new business. TAPA is building a new online tool for its Manufacturer and Logistics Service Provider members that will incorporate a route planner, a secure parking locator, site information and contact details, as well as an incident history overlay showing the locations of previous cargo crimes reported to TAPA on the routes companies are planning to use.
The online tool will also provide an opportunity for feedback from TAPA members, drivers, parking owners and law enforcement agencies.
In Phase 1, there will be three ways for parking site owners to join the new secure parking program:
• A self-certification entry level with TAPA conducting sample audits of these sites;
• By signing an annual Partner Declaration to confirm the security requirements stated in the TAPA program are in place;
• Through mutual recognition by TAPA of parking place operators that have met the requirements of other organisations with TAPA pre-approved and accredited parking security schemes.
Phase 2 will see the addition of a full certification program with audits carried out by independent audit bodies with recertification every three years. Parking operators will also be required to carry out annual self audits under the certification scheme, which will have three levels.
