Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle road freight crime.

This Government understands the significant and damaging impact freight crime has on businesses and drivers and we are aware of worrying increases in its frequency.

There are strong links between freight crime and serious, organised crime, which is a major threat to the national security and prosperity of the UK and estimated to cost the economy at least £47 billion annually.

This Government is committed to tackling serious and organised crime in all its forms, and we are continuing to work closely with Opal, the police’s national intelligence unit focused on serious organised acquisitive crime, which has multiple thematic desks, including a vehicle crime intelligence desk which covers freight crime.

We will continue to work with law enforcement agencies and invested stakeholders to change the unacceptable perception that freight crime is low risk and high reward and find solutions which will tackle it. I also recently met with Rachel Taylor MP, and Lilian Greenwood, Minister for the Future of Roads at the Department for Transport (DfT) to discuss this very matter.

The DfT also hosts the Freight Council; this group regularly discusses crime against freight companies, and the Home Office works closely with DfT to engage with the sector on this issue through the Freight Council.