Netwatch Airport Remote Surveillance System, Monitoring and Response

OPPORTUNIST thieves are targeting the UK freight industry – at a cost of more than £1 billion to the country’s economy every year.

Freight crime affects all types and sizes of commercial vehicles and it is a problem which impacts on companies up and down the country, with hauliers reporting thefts, damage and vandalism on a daily basis.

One of the biggest targets for rogue thieves is the amount of fuel carried by many of the HGVs that are targeted. They can contain up to 1,000 litres of fuel, which equates to a current pump value of £1,350 – this is instantly useable and disposable.

Crime prevention security specialist Netwatch has observed the trend and discovered the startling cost which is strangling the industry, claiming the repair and replacement bills are leaving freight companies across the UK out of pocket.

David McCarthy, Director of Netwatch UK, is advising site managers to be more vigilant as the summer passes and darker nights set in. He said: “As we move into autumn and the darker nights come in, intruders become more opportunistic than ever – they believe they can sneak in and out of sites undetected as a result.
“A lot of our sites were experiencing problems with petty vandalism, intruders breaking and entering to steal fuel from the vehicles, and valuable goods from the trailer units were being stolen, before they decided to get a more solid Crime Prevention solution in place.

“It’s becoming a major problem that is costing the industry a fortune every year – but not only that, it’s also a challenge for the authorities.”

McCarthy said a growing number of freight sites are now investing in the Netwatch advanced Crime Prevention Solution to counter the threat from the gangs.

He added: “We’ve detected and prevented several incidents at our sites up and down the country where the illegal removal of oil or diesel, or theft from the vehicles, was the intended crime.

“We provide 24 hour remote security, with intervention specialists who watch in real time as an intruder tries to enter a site and issue personalised audio warnings to deter the would‐be thieves, giving freight companies peace of mind that their sites and vehicles are secure and protected from the increasing threat.”

NOTES TO EDITOR:

Established in 2003, Netwatch currently employs 122 staff and from its Communication Hub, monitors in excess of 25,000 cameras across the globe. Netwatch was the first company in Europe to combine specialist video processing technologies with satellite communications to provide safe, preventative, immediate and cost effective protection solutions for clients. With over 35,000 crimes prevented since start‐up, the Netwatch system deploys the most advanced video processing technologies to alert its Communication Hub to unacceptable behaviour on a clients' property. Live personalised audio warnings are issued to intruders preventing criminal activity. Heavily invested in R&D, Netwatch is committed to remaining the leader in the field of remote visual monitoring and thanks to the vast advancements in its proprietary software (Veritas externally and Cratos internally), Netwatch now operates in 4 continents with clients across Europe, South Africa, the Middle East and the USA.

FURTHER INFORMATION:
Issued by Beattie Communications on behalf of the Netwatch

Neil McDonaldTel: 01698 787855 Mob: 07971 749044    Email:
neil.mcdonald@onlybeattie.com
Claire Brooks    Tel: 01698 787843 Mob: 07789 721543    Email:
claire.brooks@onlybeattie.com