Cargo companies should invest heavily on cargo security considering the increasing level of sophistication shown by some criminal elements. This was the message of Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) program management office chief Atty. Auralyn Pascual at the recent transport security seminar organized by the Philippine International Seafreight Forwarders Association in coordination with PortCalls.
“Cargo theft is a common problem in the Philippines due to the availability of low-risk, high-reward targets,” Pascual said.
“Other criminals are repositioning themselves toward cargo theft, which is considered low-risk unlike other activities such as trafficking,” she added.
“Security is an integral part of the transportation and logistics industry so service providers should invest heavily on security facilities as it will be costlier to lose cargo.”
Among common victims of cargo theft are trucking firms carrying food and beverages, electronics and semiconductor products, garments and shoes as well as construction supplies.
Pascual urged transport companies to take advantage of the global positioning system to track and trace cargoes; immediately report any hijacking to authorities; and set up a common database of employees to serve as industry-wide guide in hiring employees.
“We must work hand in hand to reduce cases of cargo theft. Transport and logistics players should immediately report to authorities cases of hijacking and not wait for days to pass; otherwise recovery and apprehension will be impossible,” Pascual said.
