More blog items

Organised Crime Posing Biggest Threat to UK Supply Chains

Author: Ivor Blatchford | Published: June 12, 2025

Knowledgeable experts at recent professional events have highlighted the impact organised crime is having on supply chains. Read our latest blog post to learn more.

Mike Dawbar is Field Intelligence Officer for the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service  and Steve Gray, an ex police officer, is head of data intelligence for the National Business Crime Solution. Both of these experienced crime prevention professionals have starkly described the impact organised crime is having on UK supply chains.

Markets for Stolen Goods

It has been said that organised crime gangs are no longer stealing to order, they are stealing to offer. They know there is a huge marketplace for cut price bargains. While most members of the public strongly disapprove of shoplifting, people are far more tolerant of stolen goods and cut price deals. Many see sellers as entrepreneurs, much like Del Boy in the popular TV comedy ‘Only Fools and Horses’.

Markets for stolen goods include online platforms such as Vinted, Ebay, Gumtree and Amazon. Criminals also exploit totally unregulated car boot sales and even offer stolen goods via social venues including pubs and social clubs. And some stolen goods can even make their way back onto supermarket and corner shop shelves.

In the UK it is a crime to knowingly buy stolen goods and can result in charges for handling stolen property. Even if someone unknowingly purchases stolen goods they can lose the item and money if the theft is discovered and the goods are recovered by the police.

It is up to buyers to take care when considering a low cost purchase. If prices appear to be too good to be true and way below the known market value, this is often a sign that the seller wants a quick sale and can indicate the items they are selling have been stolen. It is always worthwhile asking about an item’s history and requesting proof of purchase. Some items, such as bicycles and electronics, have unique identifying numbers that can potentially be checked on various databases. And when considering designer goods and jewellery its worth asking for proof of authenticity.

When shopping for bargains, either online or elsewhere, its always worth looking out for obvious warning signs. Some criminals are so brazen they openly offer brand new products, for sale via car boot sales, with their retail security tags still attached. These items have clearly been stolen as security tags are always removed by stores when items are sold legitimately. Criminals know there are plenty of cash-strapped bargain hunters, desperate to get a cut price deal, who aren`t worried about items being stolen goods.

Another simple precaution buyers can take is to avoid cash-only deals. Criminals love cash but other payment methods, such as Paypal and bank transfer, offer far better buyer protection. It also makes sense to make note of the sellers details, their names and addresses and take a few photos or screenshots of the online listing or the market stall.

Wherever possible, buy only from reputable sellers, both online and in person. Never buy from someone who is suspicious and always report any suspicious offers to the police by calling 101, or to the anonymous crimestoppers tip line.

Popular Stolen Items

Sadly, there is nothing criminals will not steal if they know they can easily resell it. Electronic items including laptops, tablets, smart phones and games consoles, are always popular due to their high value and widespread appeal, making them easy to sell. Sim cards, for example, might be targeted by criminals who then use them to carry out phishing attacks. And thieves recently stole around £1 million worth of NVIDIA GPUs from a freight depot near Heathrow Airport, possibly destined for use in crypto mining exploits.

Tobacco products, alcohol and vapes are always popular targets for thieves. Over £500,000 worth of whiskey was recently stolen from a truck in Scotland by hijackers who knew exactly what they were after.

Designer clothing and cosmetics are also popular targets due to the huge market that exists for these appealing products. A gang posed as delivery drivers to steal around £100,000 worth of designer coats from a Harrods store in London. And the well known Lush cosmetics outlets have reported a surge in thefts of their popular, high-value bath bombs and cosmetics with some stores losing thousands of pounds worth of products every month. And an organised crime gang recently stole 10,000 bottles of perfume from a warehouse in Essex, estimated to be worth over £1 million.

Power tools, industrial machinery, scrap metal, catalytic converters and fuel are also commonly targeted by thieves. Some of these items can find their way onto online market places or offered via local car boot sales. And there has been a nationwide surge in catalytic converter thefts, particularly from hybrid vehicles and Toyota Priuses.

Food items and baby formula thefts have also been escalating. In 2022 food and drink theft from trucks increased from 13% to 24% of all thefts in the year.

Pharmaceuticals and health supplements are also popular crime targets making up around 5% of items stolen from supermarkets.

Another technique used by criminals is to tamper with electronic gift cards and return them to the shelves. When the gift card is used, the purchased items are then delivered to a criminal’s address.

An organised crime is even known to have been travelling around the UK, raiding garden centres and DIY stores. The stolen items were being used by a landscaping company.

In a recent case, thieves stole Lego sets worth thousands of pounds from a shop in Sutton Coldfield. This crime may have been inspired by a Lego heist in Oregon where thieves stole more than 4,000 lego sets with an estimated value of over $200,000.

Freight Crime

Shoplifting is a major problem for UK retailers, costing over £1 billion every year. The rise in shoplifting incidents has resulted in increased security costs for retailers along with higher insurance premiums, a greater need for staff training and staff retention challenges. Theft from freight and transport is also a significant issue in the UK, estimated to be costing the UK economy and businesses around £700 million each year.

Remarkably, the UK doesn’t have a specific crime classification code for theft of freight or cargo theft. This means that significant thefts from trucks can be reported and recorded as ‘theft from a vehicle’ which puts the crime in the same category as a handbag theft. This clearly doesn’t accurately reflect the high value of these cargo theft crimes that can often be six figures or more.

Organised crime gangs are known to be targeting trucks carrying high value items. Last year National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) was notified of 4879 HGV or cargo crime incidents. There was a recorded loss of £115.5 million in goods with an overall estimated cost to businesses of around £700 million or more. NaVCIS was notified of 324 arrests and 48 police operations to investigate these crimes.

Criminals have become increasingly sophisticated and daring in their raids on trucks and cargo. Rollover Theft is a highly sophisticated form of high-risk freight crime in which criminals target vehicles while they are on the move. Criminal gangs identify high value targets, sometimes alerted via insider information and located with the help of trackers purposely placed on the target vehicles. They gain access to the cargo area while the truck is in motion, by climbing onto the roof or the rear doors. Having accessed the cargo area, goods are passed from the targeted vehicle to the criminal’s truck. The targeted truck’s driver is unaware they are being attacked and the truck telematics don’t record a stop. The theft may not then be discovered until the point of delivery. This form of targeted crime is highly effective as the drivers are unaware their trucks are being raided and there is no CCTV monitoring their vehicles while on the move.

But thieves will also target trucks and trailers while they are parked at depots, service stations and in laybys. Criminals look out for unattended or poorly secured loads and will even use a stolen tractor unit to hook up to a trailer and steal the entire load. The stolen trailer is then driven to a safe location where the cargo is rapidly unloaded into one or more other vehicles for subsequent distribution via handlers who specialise in dealing with large quantities of stolen goods.

Freight theft in the UK is a growing problem due to the relatively low risk of being caught and the high rewards. A single trailer can be carrying goods worth as much as £100,000 to £1 million on the black market. Criminals know the locations where valuable loads can be accessed and they understand exactly what the police response is likely to be, so they can carefully time their raids to avoid detection.

Tactics Used by Criminals

Organised crime gangs, in the UK, are using a wide range of increasingly sophisticated tactics and techniques to identify valuable, viable targets and steal vast quantities of readily resellable items.

Inside information is often obtained, possibly by threatening or bribing existing staff members. Information can also be gained from social media or by building relationships with logistics company employees. Gaining insider information can provide access to distribution schedules, driver names, vehicle registrations and possible enable trackers to be installed on trailers to enable their movements to be monitored.

Crime gangs are also known to establish fake, fraudulent logistics companies, enabling them to collect and steal vast quantities of valuable goods. Impersonating drivers and using counterfeit documentation is another tactic that has enabled thieves to hoodwink security personnel, hook up a tractor unit with fake licence plates to a trailer full of valuables and drive it away.

Curtain slashing is a theft technique wherein criminals park their truck alongside a targeted vehicle at a truckstop, industrial site or elsewhere. Thieves in the back of the criminal’s vehicle slash the curtains on the targeted vehicle and transfer stolen goods directly into their truck. If the targeted vehicle is carrying food items the slashed curtain will sometimes mean the entire load must be rejected by supermarkets.

Retail environments routinely deal with distraction thefts wherein staff are purposely distracted, allowing criminals to help themselves, without risk of being seen or challenged. Another technique increasingly used by brazen crime gangs is to dress up as trusted members of staff or delivery personnel. Wearing the right uniform often gains them access to ‘staff only’ areas where valuable stock is kept.

Impact on UK Supply Chains

Retail and freight theft have profound and wide ranging impacts on UK supply chains. Every year retailers lose around £1.9 billion to shoplifting, organised theft and fraud. The freight haulage and logistics sector suffers around £500 million to £1 billion in losses, every year, due to cargo theft including hijacking and rollover theft. These startling statistics inevitably mean escalating insurance premiums for affected businesses. And these costs are ultimately passed on to consumers via higher prices.

Supply chain disruption is another result of these crimes. Delayed deliveries inevitably result in low stock levels and possibly empty shelves. Dealing with crimes takes time and shipments need to be rerouted which further adds to delays.

Theft related stress has a hugely detrimental impact on staff wellness and mental health. Employee morale is adversely affected and employers can struggle to find people who can cope with the risks of dealing with crime.

Consumers suffer due to higher prices, fewer discounts and smaller, more limited ranges of available products. Customer experience can be eroded as some items become locked up for security, causing frustration for shoppers. And online shoppers, who have inadvertently purchased stolen items, can find themselves with no warranty, no buyer protection and faulty products.

Retail and freight crime inflates prices, erodes trust and damages businesses. Criminals are effectively empowered by ineffective law enforcement and a burgeoning black market for cut-price products. The UK supply chain is a high risk, high cost environment in desperate need for legal reforms and technical crime-prevention integration.

If you have any questions about retail security solutions, or if you have any special requirements, remember we are here to help. Give us a call on 01273 475500 and we’ll provide you with free, expert advice.

This message was added on Thursday 12th June 2025