Fewer cargo thefts, but bigger losses and more violence in July

July brought a sharp reversal of the trend seen in June. Reports climbed to 2,181 in June, up 41.6% from May. In July, they fell to 1,077 cases — 1,104 fewer incidents, or a 50.6% month-on-month decline. The fall in incident numbers, however, did not translate into smaller documented losses. Their total value almost doubled.

Fewer incidents, but losses nearing €22.5m

TAPA received loss valuations for 238 incidents reported in July, representing roughly 22% of all reports. Together, these cases amounted to €22,488,904. In June, valuations were available for 189 incidents, with total losses of €11,453,803.

The comparison between June and July shows that:

• The number of incidents with an assessed value rose from 189 to 238, an increase of 25.9%.
• Documented losses increased by €11,035,101, or approximately 96.3%.
• The share of incidents with a reported value rose from 8.6% to around 22%.

TAPA also calculated the average daily value of reported losses at €725,448 in July, compared with €381,793 in June.

The financial figures cover only incidents for which TAPA received information about the value of the stolen goods. They therefore do not represent the total losses associated with all 1,077 reported cases.

High-value thefts increase despite the fall in reports

TAPA recorded 40 thefts worth at least €100,000 in July. Their average value was €492,351, according to TAPA. In June, there were 30 such incidents, with an average loss of €318,731.

The number of high-value incidents therefore increased by one-third even as the overall number of reports fell by more than half.

TAPA also recorded 17 incidents valued between €50,000 and €100,000. Combined losses in this bracket reached €1,209,397, compared with €912,623 across 13 cases in June.

Largest July loss: €3m

The largest incident of the month by value took place on 22 July 2026 in Békéscsaba, Hungary. TAPA classified it as the theft of miscellaneous goods from a facility involving an insider. The reported loss was €3m.

That was substantially higher than June’s largest reported loss: the fraudulent collection of a shipment of tungsten carbide cargo in Hamburg, which resulted in an estimated loss of €1,179,000.

Germany still leads despite a steep fall in reports

Germany again had the highest number of reported incidents. TAPA logged 200 cases there in July, compared with 440 in June. That represents a reduction of 240 incidents, or around 54.5%.

The next three countries in the ranking were:

• Italy — 159 cases, compared with 320 in June.
• Spain — 106 cases, down from 280 the previous month.
• France — 81 cases, compared with 262 in June.

Spain recorded the sharpest increase among the five countries with the most reports between May and June, when its figures rose by more than 152%. In July, the trend reversed: incidents fell from 280 to 106, a decline of around 62.1%. Italy saw a decrease of approximately 50.3%, while France recorded a fall of more than 69%. The United Kingdom, which ranked fifth in June with 224 cases, reported just 48 incidents in July.

Reports came from 53 countries across the EMEA region during the month.

Facility theft returns to the top of the list

The breakdown by incident type also changed. Vehicle-related theft was the leading category in June, with 708 cases, while facility theft ranked second with 476.

The ranking was reversed in July. Facility theft became the largest category, accounting for 487 incidents, or 45.2% of all reports.

The other categories included:

• theft from vehicles — 272 cases,
• robbery — 79 cases,
• theft of entire vehicles — 54 cases,
• counterfeit-related crimes — 44 cases,
• cargo or vehicle hijacking — 40 cases,
• general theft — 28 cases,
• truck theft — 23 cases,
• trailer theft — 14 cases,
• fraud — 13 cases.

The sharpest change was in thefts from vehicles, which fell from 708 incidents in June to 272 in July.

Break-ins remain common as violence rises

Trespassing or burglary remained the most frequently reported modus operandi. It was recorded in 705 incidents, equivalent to approximately 65.5% of all cases. The method was not identified in 158 reports.

TAPA also registered 127 incidents involving violence or the threat of violence, accounting for around 11.8% of the monthly total.

That was a marked increase from June, when 91 incidents involved violence or threats, accounting for 4.17% of all reports.

Other July incidents included:

• 59 cases of other types of fraud.
• 24 incidents involving an insider.
• Three cases involving the fraudulent collection of cargo.
• One theft from a moving vehicle.

TAPA’s July data point to an unusual combination: reported incidents fell by more than half, while the value of known losses almost doubled. At the same time, both the number of high-value thefts and the number of incidents involving violence or threats increased.