Freight Crime

Dan Jarvis Excerpts

Tuesday 3rd December 2024 Westminster Hall

[The Minister for Security (Dan Jarvis)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Mark, and I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire and Bedworth (Rachel Taylor) on securing this debate. As was very clear from her remarks, she has a huge interest in, and knowledge of, these important matters. As she said, this debate is very timely, not least because it comes hot on the heels of the publication of an insightful, comprehensive report on the subject by the all-party parliamentary group on freight and logistics, which she chairs. I thank her for that work and I am grateful to all the other Members who have participated in the debate.

As my hon. Friend will know, matters relating to freight crime are the responsibility of the Policing Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham (Dame Diana Johnson), rather than the Security Minister. The Policing Minister is very sorry that she cannot be here, but I have listened carefully to my hon. Friend’s excellent contribution and I will endeavour to respond on behalf of the Policing Minister to all her points. If I miss anything, I will endeavour to ensure that the Department writes to my hon. Friend on those matters.

At the outset, I emphasise how damaging and distressing freight crime can be, as my hon. Friend clearly said, and acknowledge its hugely detrimental effect on businesses and individuals. Everyone should be concerned that freight crime rates have risen over the past few years. The Government will work with partners—she asked me for an assurance on this—including the police to mount the most effective response possible.

As my hon. Friend knows, we are pursuing a wide-ranging mission to tackle crime and make our streets safer. A big part of that is restoring visible neighbourhood policing, which is essential for deterring crime, reassuring residents and businesses, and maintaining public confidence. Through our neighbourhood policing guarantee, we will deliver thousands of neighbourhood police, community support officers and special constables.

On freight and related vehicle crimes specifically, we are working closely with the police, the automotive industry and the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service. We have provided the police with additional funding this financial year to help to tackle the export of stolen vehicles, supporting enforcement at the ports to prevent stolen vehicles and vehicle parts being shipped abroad, including through the deployment of additional staff and specialist equipment to the ports. We will also bring forward legislation to ban electronic devices that have been used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them.

Recently the Policing Minister had the opportunity to meet the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims, to discuss those issues and how we can work more effectively together. Led by ACC Sims, the national vehicle crime working group is raising awareness of crime against road haulage companies within the national police vehicle crime response. We look forward to working closely with the Road Haulage Association as part of that group.

In support of the working group, a network of vehicle crime specialists has been established, involving every police force in England and Wales. It will help to share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime so that we can better seek to tackle regional issues. As a key member of the working group, the Government continue to work with NaVCIS, the specialist unit funded by industry, to provide dedicated specialist intelligence and enforcement. As part of its remit, NaVCIS is working with the Government; we are together taking forward a project to analyse heavy goods vehicle-related crime in England, with a specific focus on identifying crime patterns at HGV parking sites. The Government are determined that all lorry drivers should have access to high-quality, safe and secure facilities right across the country, which is why we have invested in improved lorry parks and safer rest areas.

My hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire and Bedworth specifically mentioned that point and she extended an invitation to visit the services in her constituency. I can assure her that I will extend that invitation on her behalf to the Policing Minister. She made a number of other points, which I will come to in a moment. Before I do, I want to confirm to her that an industry-led task and finish group on HGV facilities will complete its work in January. It is focusing on increasing capacity for safe and secure parking, and driving the industry’s adoption of existing HGV parking standards. We will consider the findings closely and will do so mindful of the comments that she has made today about Hollie, as well as the important points she made about retention in the industry and about public awareness.

With industry, the Government and National Highways are investing in improved welfare facilities, security upgrades and more HGV parking spaces at lorry parks and truck stops across England. My hon. Friend rightly mentioned the importance of infrastructure. The Government are prioritising improvements to the planning system, which she mentioned. New language on freight and logistics in the recent consultation on the national planning policy framework recognises the importance of considering freight in planning, and I thank the sector for taking the time to respond to the consultation.

I acknowledge the worrying involvement of serious and organised criminals in committing freight crime, which my hon. Friend rightly referenced. These individuals corrode our country’s global reputation and cost us billions of pounds each year. As announced by the Prime Minister in his recent speech to the Interpol General Assembly in Glasgow, we are investing a further £58 million in the National Crime Agency. That will make a real difference, including through the strengthening of data analysis and intelligence capabilities. I will also take away my hon. Friend’s important point about the need for a national strategy. We will work with policing on a new national centre of policing to bring together crucial support services that local police forces can draw upon to raise standards, and improve efficiency and productivity.

My hon. Friend made a couple of other points that I want to respond to. I am grateful to her for acknowledging the measures in the Budget to freeze the fuel duty allowance and for the important point she made about the huge contribution that freight makes to the UK economy. She was right to do so, as freight accounts for 5% of gross value added to the UK non-financial business economy. The Government completely recognise the significant importance of the sector.

In closing, I reiterate my thanks to my hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire and Bedworth for securing this debate and to all those who contributed to it. We have covered a number of specific issues, and I know that the Policing Minister will reflect on them in our ongoing work with partners, including policing, and work closely with colleagues in the Department for Transport.

As I said at the beginning of my remarks, freight crime is a serious threat and must be dealt with as such. This Government are committed to tackling criminality of any kind, which is why we have made it our mission to deliver safer streets for all and restore neighbourhood policing. Reducing freight crime is integral to that mission.

Question put and agreed to.