A recent survey conducted by Reliance Security Services and Storage Handling Distribution magazine in the UK found that more than three-quarters of managers with responsibility for security in logistics businesses across the UK believed the current economic downturn would raise the level of crime affecting their businesses.

Of the three-quarters that expected an increase in crime, 85% believed break-ins would increase and 69% anticipated internal theft/fraud would rise, while more than half (52%) expected an increase in vehicle hijacking. Some 15% expected vandalism to increase, while 13% believed drugs-related issues affecting the industry would also rise.

In addition to the use of on-site security personnel, other security solutions used by respondents included CCTV surveillance (84%), electronic access control solutions (68%), remote monitoring (44%), covert surveillance (25%) and lone worker devices (22%).

In response to questions about the frequency of security reviews and risk assessments, 85% of respondents said they conducted annual risk assessments. A similarly high proportion of those sites--76%--also reviewed their security arrangements once a year.

When it came to security concerns, logistics sites with and without on-site security teams said the issue of most concern to them was break-ins (85%). In addition to that, over two-thirds (68%) of respondents said that employee theft and fraud was one of their greatest security concerns.

Internal theft and fraud was the most frequently experienced crime among respondents, with 29% claiming to have been victims. Break-ins were the second biggest problem, occurring at 26% of sites, whilst vandalism was also an issue for 22% of respondents.

Over the past 12 months, the biggest area of increased spend for all respondents was in electronic surveillance and CCTV. Almost half (43%) had increased expenditure in this area. Other electronic solutions had also benefited, according to the survey, with a quarter (25%) increasing expenditure on access control systems and 16% increasing spend on remote surveillance. At the same time, 24% of respondents had seen a rise in expenditure on manned guarding.
Transport Intelligence