KEY POINTS:
Armed gangs of kidnappers are increasing their attacks on hauliers in Britain, and truck drivers are routinely being abducted at gunpoint for their cargo, a leaked police intelligence report reveals.
Truck hijackings by "modern highwaymen" rose by 50 per cent last year, with an estimated £250 million ($665 million) of goods stolen by kidnapping syndicates, according to the report prepared for the Government.
Attacks often involve a driver being abducted at gun or knifepoint and kept hostage overnight while his cargo is taken. Stolen items are then sold cheaply door-to-door. Detectives said that gangs emphasised a "Robin Hood" image to hide the fact that the goods originated from kidnappings.
An average of £130,000 of goods are stolen in each raid. Cargoes of cigarettes or expensive electrical goods are often targeted. Officers from freight crime units throughout Britain identified 44 attacks where haulage drivers were kidnapped before their cargo was stolen.
Two weeks ago, a driver was dragged from his truck at knifepoint after parking overnight in a Worcestershire lay-by, and held hostage for several hours before being released. Police found his abandoned truck, still carrying £40,000 of Toblerone chocolate bars, at what they believe was a collection point for another gang.
In another attack a truck was hijacked on the M1 motorway by men dressed as police officers. They tied the driver's wrists to a gate, stole his £250,000 cargo and set the vehicle on fire near Holmfirth, West Yorkshire.
A £50,000 reward has been offered for information about a gang who hijacked a truck in Cheshire at knifepoint and stole cigarettes worth £1 million. Police said the Lancashire driver remains "distraught".
Police found that all kidnappings occur at night with "attack groups" of at least three armed men. The report, compiled by Merseyside police for Louise Ellman MP, chair of the parliamentary transport select committee, said: "Typical roadside hijack: cab window smashed using crowbar or hammer, sleeping driver overcome, typically punched and threatened with weapons."
The report warns that truck hijackings have increased because the gangs see the number of targets as "limitless". Syndicates view the offence as relatively risk-free, with just 5 per cent of police investigations successful. Latest intelligence indicates the gangs are run by multi-millionaire criminals who control the planning of attacks and distribution of the stolen goods.
In Merseyside alone, police have identified six "principals", who own large-scale profitable "front" businesses with close links to the haulage industry. More than a quarter of the 306 truck hijackings in the UK during the past three years were organised by Liverpool gangs.
LAND PIRATES
* Investigations led by Merseyside Police found that seven hijacking teams stole £11 million of goods between 2005 and 2008.
* These gangs had 75 members, who were armed in at least 10 attacks.
* Officers also identified 60 storemen and warehouse suppliers and 15 corrupt drivers who assisted the gangs.
- OBSERVER
