The lack of secure lorry parking in Sweden came sharply into focus last week, when it is reported 10 pallets of perfume worth 1 million SEK (just over €95,000) were stolen from a trailer in the Helsingborg area.
SVT writes that last year there were 142 recorded thefts from trucks or rail containers in Helsingborg. This is almost triple the amount recorded in Gothenburg during the same time period – despite the latter being a significantly larger port.
Christian Orsing, who chairs Helsingborg’s city planning committee, told SVT there was a risk of serious organised crime being “fertilised” if no action is taken to better secure cargo.
Johan Mangbo of Helsingborg municipal police also told the state-news broadcaster that most cargo thefts in the area occur at night when drivers are asleep. Mangbo added that we wants to see cargo theft reduced via the introduction of secure lorry parks equipped with CCTV.
The SVT report also included insight from the Swedish Transport Administration, who has been commissioned by the government to investigate the lack of secure rest areas. The administration states that there are very few secure lorry parks in the country, and that there are none in the Helsingborg area.
It is said that Helsingborg city council is open to the possibility of building a secure lorry park near a motorway junction to the west of the city. However, according to Christian Orsing, the problem is that there are question marks regarding whether hauliers would actually be willing to pay to use such a facility.
“The competitive situation in the industry and the illegal freight traffic means that you do not always reach the relevant target group. Transport buyers also need to set clearer requirements, the entire chain must take responsibility,” said Orsing.
Photo: Susanne Nilsson / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0