FWI: Cargo theft remains prevalent in Brazil

A total of 7,218 cargo thefts were reported in the state of Rio de Janeiro throughout 2015, a 22.6 percent increase from 2014.    Cargo theft is on the rise in Brazil and the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro have the highest rates of reported cargo thefts in the country, according to FreightWatch International Supply Chain Intelligence Center’s (FWI SCIC) Brazil Cargo Theft Report for 2015.
   A total of 8,490 cargo thefts were reported in the state of São Paulo throughout 2015, a 0.2 percent decline from 2014. FWI attributed the slight decline to the greater police presence and intelligence gathering.
   The two regions in the state with the largest number of reported cargo thefts in 2015 were the city of São Paulo and the greater São Paulo metropolitan area. Together, these two regions accounted for 82.5 percent of reported cargo thefts in the state. During the year, a total of 5,066 cargo thefts were reported in the city of São Paulo, while a total of 1,873 cargo thefts were reported in the greater São Paulo metropolitan area, a year-over-year drop of 0.4 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively.
   In the state of Rio de Janeiro, reported cargo thefts rose 22.6 percent year-over-year in 2015 to 7,218 reported incidents. On a bright note, the state saw a 44 percent decline in the growth rate of reported cargo thefts compared to 2014, when the year-over-year growth rate was 67 percent.
   Most thefts in the state throughout 2015 took place in the northern and western regions of the city of Rio de Janeiro, especially on the expressways. However, police presence was intensified during the year in these high-risk regions and major roadways.
   Overall, throughout the country, the majority of reported cargo theft occurred in urban areas. The most common form of cargo theft involved direct confrontation of drivers using firearms, the threat of violence and kidnapping.