Tough Economic Times Bring Increases in Criminal Activities
With hard times come hard criminal activities. Bands of roving thieves are stealing more products and merchandise than ever before and demanding ransom for lives, too. You can find them in pirate ships off of Somalia, or on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
It seems that even though authorities are successful in taking some off of the streets (and water), new recruits quickly take their places and the illegal activity just continues to grow.
Most of these groups of bandits are into drug dealing as their first source of income. Indeed, many countries have “better and more important work to do” rather than cracking down on the drug trade. In fact, if the flow of money were clearer, the leaders of third world nations are filling their own pockets with blood-tainted drug money.
But, fortunately, the effort of the United States DEA and local police agencies has made it more difficult for them to make money. Often, they turn to other methods including extortion, kidnapping for ransom and even bank robbery.
Now, these thieves have added another way to add to their ill-gotten gain: cargo theft. The reason that this is becoming more common is because there is a low risk / high reward payoff.
Stealing Cargo Abroad
It is difficult for law enforcement agencies to be everywhere all of the time. And, with corruption in some nations, cargo theft is largely unfettered because it adds to a local economy by supplying goods to locals at very low costs. Meanwhile, millions of dollars in products end up as losses on the books of companies who are trying to make a profit and stay in business. These losses add up quickly to these companies.
Whether it is cargo stolen from semi trucks and trailers or that which is stolen from maritime shippers, the numbers of thefts is on the increase. Economic difficulties have fed the demand for cheaper products obtained by simple theft.
Bands of Cunning Thieves
Armed with more than just guns and bravado, these roving bands are using technology to plunder shipments. You will find them with police scanners, GPS jammers and other tools to assist in their get-away. They know that the stealing of products has a high reward in profitability and they even know what products are the tops in popularity.
The Three Pronged Fight Back
Putting a stop to this dangerous activity requires a massive three pronged effort by all parties involved. GPS Tracking devices must be utilized in this effort:
GPS Tracking of Freight Vehicles. Any vehicle that is used in the transportation of goods and products must be outfitted with GPS Tracking devices. These units can be monitored and maintained by the companies that ship merchandise locally or around the world. This is the entry point for watching for theft of products. Companies need to make sure that their drivers and operators are honest in the carrying out of their duties. GPS Tracking allows these businesses to monitor operations and ensure that goods are being delivered to their intended locations.
GPS Tracking of Freight Containers. The containers in which merchandise is placed must have GPS Tracking devices, too. These containers are those that can be separated from vehicles that are used to transport them. They have to be able to be tracked and monitored by the shipping companies to insure that they reach their destination properly. This will also help them to avoid losing shipments and containers for long periods of time.
GPS Tracking of Products. Individual products that are packed into skids have to include GPS Tracking units, as well. This final method might be the last but most important for the tracking activity. If the first two methods are unsuccessful, this one holds the most promise of being able to produce evidence upon which authorities can act to bring forth swift justice.
International cooperation must exist between manufacturers, shippers and law enforcement and governmental agencies. Even if the police and government agencies do not perform their duties properly, at least the theft events can be monitored and followed up with pressure from those nations who do stand against these activities to force them to comply. This united stance against this type of threat will produce compliance to international laws and regulations.
James Neely is a freelance writer who writes about GPS Tracking devices for Rocky Mountain Tracking.
Tags: cargo theft, criminal, DEA, freight containers, freight vehicles, GPS Tracking, merchandise, Rocky Mountain Tracking, tracking devices
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