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TruckPol's figures, which cover the period from April to June 2006, show a 37% increase in warehouse-based HGV thefts compared to the same period in 2004 and although warehouse-related thefts still account for just 3% of overall HGV crime, poor warehouse security remains "a real concern", says the report. The increase in warehouse related crime could indicate that criminals are increasingly targeting distribution depots as a deliberate policy, suggests TruckPol spokesman DS Mark Galliers. "If  supply chain operators tighten up the security of vehicles out on the road, as many have, it may now be that the warehouse has become the weakest link," he says. "But firms need to tighten security up right across the board."

It's not just the warehouse building itself but the whole distribution site that needs a boost in security, adds Galliers. "There is certainly a lack of security in places," he says. "I've recently heard of one incident in North Yorkshire, where two men in a tractive unit drove into a compound, attached a trailer in the yard and then drove off again, and another in the Thames Valley, where a substantial volume of mobile phones that had been left in a trailer outside a warehouse over  the weekend were taken. It's just too easy for them."

Don Armour, manager of fleet information at the Freight Transport Association, agrees that concerns over security out on the road in recent times may have eclipsed the issue of crime at distribution depots. "Everyone has been concentrating in the last couple of years on keeping drivers and vehicles safe on the road - but I'm not sure how much the security message has been passed on to warehouse managers or transport managers," he says. "I think larger firms are pretty aware of what's going on and how to combat crime," he adds. "But a lot of firms are too busy trying to cope with the day to day challenge of meeting health and safety and legislative requirements while trying to run a profitable business and staying out of the way of their local Traffic Commissioner - and warehouse security can sometimes be a poor relation in these conditions."

Anyone looking to raise security at their site should take heed of the recommendations given out by the Airfreight Industry Minimum Security Standards (AIMSS) for cargo, suggests TruckPol. The AIMSS recommendations, which cover both transport and warehouse security, include advice on access control, general premises security, the handling of vulnerable goods, goods collection procedures, and the training of depot staff and can be found at www.aimss.info/documents/AIMSSDocument-04.pdf.