SensiGuard SCIC: Cargo theft expected to increase during holiday season

With both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day occurring on Mondays this year, the two three-day weekends leave more opportunity for shipments to be left unattended or parked in unsecured locations for extended periods of time, according to Sensitech.    Losses of cargo due to theft are expected to increase during the 2017 holiday season compared to last year due to many factors, including the two upcoming three-day weekends resulting in cargo being left unattended for longer periods of time.
   This is according to Massachusetts-based supply chain visibility company Sensitech, which operates the SensiGuard Supply Chain Intelligence Center (SCIC), a cargo theft monitoring service formerly known as FreightWatch.
   According to the SCIC, the winter holiday shipping season has historically been one of the most dangerous times for cargo theft, and with both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day occurring on Mondays this year, the two separate three-day weekends leave more opportunity for shipments to be left unattended or parked in unsecured locations for extended periods of time.
   “In addition to the usual theft of full truckload and pilferage during the holidays, it is not uncommon to see facility theft as well,” the SCIC explained in a Dec. 15 statement. “Facilities dense with merchandise waiting for empty shelves that will follow hectic holiday sales provide rich targets for cargo thieves. Moreover, these facilities tend to have fewer personnel over the extended holiday period.”
   November 2017 saw a 37 percent increase in cargo theft volume and a 101 percent rise in average value over November 2016, according to SCIC data. If the trend continues, holiday losses this year will increase sharply, SensiGuard is predicting.
   Among the recommendations that the SensiGuard Supply Chain Intelligence Center is giving logistics and security professionals is to confirm holiday hours of operation with shipping partners to mitigate any unforeseen shipping delays.
   The SCIC also advises the review of security protocols to ensure policies are up to date and in line with industry best practices for both in-transit and warehouse operations; both of which are expected to be heavily targeted over the holidays.
   “Covert GPS tracking with an active monitoring program is vital to mitigate threats, and is an invaluable asset to the recovery process in the event of an in-transit theft,” the SCIC said in a statement.