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1. Introduction
Cargo theft is a significant problem globally. Most of the freight transport in the EU is by road. Therefore, road cargo theft can be considered as a threat to one of the EU’s core principles, the free movement of goods (Europol, 2009). Annual cargo theft losses in the EU are estimated at EUR 8.2 billion or an average value of EUR 6.72 per trip (EP, 2007). Approximately 41 per cent of all incidents occurred while driving and approximately 60 per cent during a stop (EP, 2007). An International Road Transport Union (IRU, 2008) indicates that 42 per cent of the attacks occurred in truck parks and 19 per cent at motorway service stations. Thus, in at least 61 per cent of all cargo thefts, freights outside the terminal areas have been targeted. Further, research indicates that incidents occurring outside the facilities (non-secured parking, secured parking, and en route) account for 78 per cent of all incidents, but only 57 per cent of the loss value (Ekwall and Lantz, 2013). Forced stops and hijacks must also be included in this figure, although Ekwall and Lantz (2012) find that hijacks constitute <2 per cent of all attacks. Thus, non-secure parking outside terminals has attracted considerable attention because they are primary locations for cargo thefts. To enhance security against cargo theft, the characteristics of these types of incidents must be examined in further detail.
Theft has and will probably always be a part of society, and for many businesses, theft is a part of doing business (Guthrie and Guthrie, 2006). The research on retail crimes has evolved through the years and both the focus and the theoretical background have changed. The focus for retail theft was linked to the perpetrators’ relations with the affected organization (internal theft, external theft, or vendor fraud), the product’s vulnerability to theft (CRAVED – concealable, removable, available, valuable, enjoyable and disposable), or the location of the theft (supply chain or geographical) (Beck et al., 2003; Beck, 2004; Chapman and Templar, 2006; Bamfield, 2006; Ekwall and Lantz, 2013; Clarke, 1999; Bamfield, 2004; Oliphant and Oliphant, 2001). Theft of goods anywhere in the supply chain, particularly closer to the end consumer, will somehow lead to stock replacement costs, diversion of resources from...