European thieves stealing cargo from moving trucks?

In an audacious move, cargo thieves in Europe appear to have started pilfering loads from the top of moving trucks.

Cargo security specialist Freightwatch International reports that the new modus operandi (MO) has been seen in Italy and may be occurring elsewhere in Europe, although it cautions that for the moment reports are anecdotal.

Dubbed the 'Romanian MO' after a string of incidents in recent years, it involves the use of specially-equipped vans that open the rear doors of trucks in transit to allow acrobatic criminals to climb aboard and steal boxes, which are then thrown to accomplices in a following vehicle.

Freightwatch now reports details of a theft which hit the headlines in Italy and involved a shipment of cosmetics in transit on the Brescia-Bergamo-Milano (BreBeMi) A35 highway which - in a variation of the Romanian MO - was accessed via the roof.

The organisation notes that this could defeat measures such as "security locks, door alarms or even cameras installed at the back of the vehicle."

"The exact circumstances surrounding this incident remain somewhat foggy," notes Freightwatch. "Whatever the details, this incident and the threats deriving from a potential new type of Romanian MO should be taken seriously."