Warehouse and Transport Crime: Theft, Embezzlement, Robbery

Commercial Detectives Investigate Disloyal Employees and External Theft

A brochure published in 2013 by the Lower Saxony State Criminal Police Office (LKA) on transport crime reveals alarming figures: more than 200,000 transports in Germany are affected by cargo theft each year, contributing significantly to the Europe-wide total losses of over 8 billion euros (European Union estimate). The sense of safety in Germany, based on the assumption that cargo theft mainly occurs in Eastern Europe, is increasingly giving way to the realization that organized gangs and cunning warehouse workers or transporters—acting alone or in collusion—also seize, disappear and illegally sell goods and parts of shipments within Germany. Management of affected companies is often forced to commission commercial detectives for surveillance or to infiltrate their businesses and warehouses in order to clarify the disappearance of revenue or transported goods.

 

Particularly in view of the forecast by the Federal Ministry of Transport, which anticipates a 27% increase in transport volumes and a 53% increase in the value of goods per ton by 2025, damages in the high millions to billions are expected for German companies alone. 30.5% of gross domestic product is accounted for by manufacturing and construction industries. Thus, more than one-third of Germany’s economic output is threatened by transport crime and must be protected using all available means. Through infiltration of transport companies, surveillance of trucks during loading and unloading, and pretextual meetings or contact initiation, our Frankfurt detectives help affected businesses identify cargo thieves and secure court-admissible evidence. In the field of warehouse and transport crime in particular, our detective agency in Frankfurt am Main has extensive positive investigative experience and is also available to support your company: +49 69 1201 8454-0.

Warehouse Crime as an Internal Problem in Manufacturing Companies

Losses of goods do not only occur during transport due to the negligence of truck drivers and the cunning of organized gangs; in many cases, they are caused by employees within the company acting deliberately. They often steal parts of shipments not during transport, but already in the warehouse, in order to keep them or resell them illegally for profit, thus committing theft, embezzlement and handling stolen goods. Especially when warehouses are not located near the actual production facility or company headquarters, it is difficult or even impossible for management to detect such misconduct promptly, let alone prove it. Due to privacy protections, which also apply in the workplace, surveillance cameras are only partially permissible and helpful; much occurs where cameras do not reach. The infiltration of our Frankfurt private detectives into the affected business or warehouse provides an effective way to catch disloyal and criminal employees in the act.

 

Through misappropriation and embezzlement of warehouse goods, as well as trafficking in such goods, German companies incur additional losses in the hundreds of millions, beyond transport theft. The exact extent cannot be determined, as many offenses are discovered far too late, if at all, and the number of unreported cases is considered very high. In addition to the value of the stolen goods, further costs arise from necessary re-production, repackaging, storage and transport. During an undercover warehouse operation, the respective investigator poses as a new colleague of the suspected warehouse employees. Through personal and professional interaction between detective and employee under the credible cover of “colleague,” court-admissible evidence of theft and resale can be gathered. The documented investigative results from observations and interviews conducted by our undercover commercial detective from Frankfurt, possible testimony in court, and photographic documentation enable the conviction of the offending employee.

Reduction of Crime Risk | Employee Awareness and Additional Security Measures

The aforementioned LKA Lower Saxony brochure highlights which types of cargo are most attractive to thieves and handlers of stolen goods. The “ideal goods” typically have the following characteristics:

 

• significant market value,
• a broad customer base,
• preferably a manageable size to facilitate removal.

 

Our detective agency in Frankfurt views the last point critically, as we have handled numerous theft cases involving rather bulky goods: raw materials, tools and construction materials, scrap metal and more. In such cases, removal is usually carried out using an additional truck due to the size and nature of the goods.

 

To minimize the risk of theft during transport, it is essential to properly train transport personnel. Rest areas are the most common crime scenes, as tarpaulins are cut open in the shadow of trucks or under the cover of night, and goods are stolen without the driver noticing. In one out of five thefts, there are even attacks on drivers, sometimes putting their lives at risk. In cases involving violence or even the threat of violence, the offense is no longer classified as theft, but as robbery under Section 249 of the German Criminal Code. Aaden Detective Agency Frankfurt/Main is happy to advise logistics companies and their clients on improving security measures to ensure the safety of drivers and goods as effectively as possible: info@aaden-detektive-frankfurt.de.

Information Leakage as a Starting Point for Offenders

Theft committed by external criminals is often only possible because internal information has been accessed beforehand. This can occur through:

 

• targeted wiretapping of telephone calls,
• bribery or corruption of employees of the target company for the purpose of disclosing confidential information,
• collusion with employees in the form of profit-sharing from the theft,
• espionage of digital data (hacking, spyware, phishing, etc.).

 

Most security measures taken in response to these issues are of little use if the transport driver or the involved warehouse employees themselves are responsible for the disappearance of the cargo. These criminals can only be exposed by catching them in the act or through incriminating statements—for example, through the deployment of our private detectives from Frankfurt am Main.

Incomplete Deliveries, Irregularities in the Warehouse – What Can You Do as an Entrepreneur?

If your production facility has become the site of unexplained disappearances of valuable goods, whether once or repeatedly, or if you have justified suspicion that your employees may be misappropriating parts of shipments in the warehouse or during transport, we invite you to contact our Frankfurt commercial detective agency.

 

Together with you, we develop a concept to locate the missing cargo and identify those responsible—including, where possible, the handlers of stolen goods. Whether through surveillance of suspicious employees, monitoring cargo along transport routes, or the undercover deployment of a detective, our agency is at your disposal with these and many other operational options. You are welcome to receive a free consultation during our business hours (Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 19:00) at the following number: +49 69 1201 8454-0.

Aaden Corporate Detective Agency Frankfurt am Main

Barckhausstraße 1

D-60325 Frankfurt am Main

Tel.: +49 69 1201 8454-0

Fax: +49 69 1201 8454-9

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive-frankfurt.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive-frankfurt.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824