It’s been going on for months now … since June 2021, when “Project Crockpot” was launched by the York Regional Police Auto/Cargo Theft Unit to investigate ongoing auto theft in and around Toronto. Finally, on October 21, 2021, some traction was made.
Investigators recovered 88 stolen vehicles valued at approximately $5million, seized approximately $300K in cash and collected various tools used to electronically reprogram cars. Nine individuals have also been arrested and suspected to have stolen cars and shipped them overseas.
This is a timely, vital bust, but vehicle theft is still a big deal across Canada and the U.S. On average, 232 vehicles are stolen per day in Canada and Ontario leads this country in number of auto theft reports, according to Safe Insurance. The Insurance Information Institute released a preliminary analysis that indicated 873,080 as the total number of auto thefts in 2020. Among both countries, this results in billions of dollars lost.
Proactive Security a Must to Deter Cargo Theft
Cargo theft perpetrators are a huge threat to the economy, citizens and national security. Stolen goods increase the cost of the same goods being sold. Retailers mark up prices to fill the gap of the monetary loss of their stolen goods. They pass this cost onto consumers who end up paying the higher price.
The brands of stolen goods risk a diminishing reputation as well. When resold, items can be damaged, or warranties voided since it wasn’t purchased from a reputable source. Unsuspecting consumers’ purchase a stolen product based on brand loyalty, recognition and trust. If they receive a sub-par product, bad online reviews and word of mouth can kill a once successful brand.
It’s important to take a proactive rather than reactive stance against cargo theft. This helps ensure cargo theft is deterred during the act, rather than resorting to days and months of investigating what has already happened. By this time, stolen goods as well as perpetrators are scattered and difficult to find.
So, Why Let It Get This Far …
ECAM’s customized transportation and logistics security solutions help reduce and deter cargo, parts and vehicle theft in real time to catch events as they happen. We watch for specific activities not just motion. Therefore, we can act immediately, efficiently and effectively to help deter behaviors and events that typically lead to cargo theft.
Our advanced video analytics – pre-programmed onto high-definition video surveillance cameras – lets the technology filter video streams detecting certain activities. This is all done by the machine without human intervention. Filtering and detecting happens 24/7, 365 days per year until …
Our technology identifies an activity that needs human interaction to analyze. The technology immediately alerts a highly trained ECAM security operator who takes over to determine the next best steps to deter the activity while it is taking place.
So, why let cargo theft become actual cargo theft? It doesn’t have to go that far. Deploying our advanced video analytics and human intelligence, behaviors, actions and events that could result in cargo theft can be deterred.
Contact one of our transportation and logistics specialists today to discuss your options.
