Driving security with CameraMatics
Fleet management and safety specialist CameraMatics has offered its perspective on how fleets can address the issues of freight and cargo crime.
In the UK, freight crime costs the economy around £250 million per year, observes Simon Murray, co-founder of CameraMatics – and while cameras are central to the effort against such crime, they certainly aren’t the whole story.
“Cameras on vehicles and assets are obviously a deterrent: the mere presence of cameras puts off most potential criminals,” he told Transport Operator.
“But of course, they can also help investigate crimes of fraud and theft after they happen.
“What is required, quite obviously, is a more sophisticated security camera system, one that meets the following three criteria.
“First, it covers the areas of the vehicle, including internal areas, where incidents of theft or fraud normally take place. This can include the internal load area of a commercial vehicle, but also any side and rear doors that may be used, plus trailers and other assets that may contain or carry valuable cargo.
“Second, the cameras are connected to a central platform to which data is uploaded automatically. In other words, taking out a camera doesn’t take out the system, and incidents are automatically flagged when they occur – for retrieval, analysis, or indeed acting in the moment to prevent what is happening.
“And last, cameras can be triggered based on events (such as doors opening, or simply motion), meaning they automatically capture what needs to be captured, rather than hours of footage of no interest.
“A system like this can’t eliminate all incidents of theft of course. But it can certainly help, and it will improve a business’s chances of successfully prosecuting those thefts that do occur. It is also worth remembering that on that basis, it can also reduce insurance premiums.”
Murray is also keen to highlight the role of telematics and GPS tracking in preventing vehicle and cargo theft.
“Most obviously, the ability to track vehicles using GPS, and share that location with a central fleet management platform, gives your organisation the ability to know precisely where your vehicles are at any moment in time – and where they have been.
“Unscheduled stops can be related to cargo theft (even theft you might otherwise find hard to detect, such as siphoning off oil, foam, and so on, or simply represent unauthorised use of the vehicle.
“Going further, geofencing can prevent the operation of vehicles outside of specific areas and deliver alerts when the leave or enter those areas.
“Again, this prevents both vehicle and cargo theft, whether it involves employees or outside agents, and used alongside a single fleet-management platform, it can immediately alert fleet managers when it appears that theft or unauthorised use has been attempted.”
Murray also emphasises the role that tracking devices can play when it comes to tracking and protect trailers and indeed almost any asset.
“Not every asset needs to be fully equipped in terms of telematics and camera coverage. In many cases simple tracking technology can be fitted once and track assets for years.
“What is important of course is that these devices are integrated into the platform that us being used to track the entire fleet. The ability to see and track everything from a single dashboard is extraordinarily powerful.
“And of course the benefits of that ability aren’t limited to preventing crime. In large, complex businesses controlling thousands of assets, sometimes you simply need help to know where everything is.
“One thing is certain: there is potential to save millions of pounds – and all the hassle that comes with crime – by allowing modern tracking and camera technology to keep an eye on things.”
