Safer Parking Freight and NaVCIS join forces to tackle freight crime
Freight crime continues to have a significant impact on businesses, supply chains and the wider economy, while also placing HGV drivers at increased risk when secure parking facilities are unavailable.
Creating secure parking is central to Safer Parking's commitment to reducing freight crime and improving driver welfare. Working closely with the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS), Safer Parking remains dedicated to preventing crime, protecting valuable goods and enhancing the safety and wellbeing of HGV drivers.
The partnership between NaVCIS and Safer Parking Freight forms part of a wider effort to promote safe and secure truck parking across the UK. Police CPI, which manages the Safer Parking initiative, has joined NaVCIS as an Associate Member, strengthening collaboration between policing and the parking industry to support a more coordinated approach to tackling freight crime.
This partnership is particularly important as freight crime continues to present a significant challenge for the road transport sector.
NaVCIS data shows that thefts at Motorway Service Areas (MSAs) have increased compared with incidents at independent truck stops. During the second quarter of 2026, offences recorded at MSAs rose from 69 incidents in Q1 to 91 incidents in Q2.
In 2025, 20% of all recorded freight crime offences occurred at Motorway Service Areas, resulting in an estimated loss of £2.5 million. By comparison, 6% of offences took place at truck stops, accounting for an estimated loss of £1.4 million.
These figures underline the importance of developing HGV parking facilities that combine robust security measures with high-quality driver amenities, including controlled site access, perimeter fencing, CCTV coverage, adequate lighting, welfare facilities and vehicle monitoring systems. Such measures not only deter criminal activity but also provide drivers with safer and more comfortable places to take their required rest breaks.
Without access to secure parking facilities, many drivers are forced to stop overnight in lay-bys, industrial estates and other unsuitable locations, leaving both themselves and their vehicles vulnerable to criminality.
Safe and secure parking provides an important layer of protection against freight crime, while also supporting driver welfare and road safety. By working alongside organisations such as NaVCIS, the parking industry can draw upon policing expertise and industry knowledge to develop intelligence-led approaches to crime prevention, disruption and operational best practice.
Ultimately, closer collaboration between policing, industry and parking operators will help strengthen the UK's response to freight crime, protect drivers and safeguard the movement of goods across the national transport network.
Nigel Collins, NaVCIS Freight Intelligence Manager, said:
“NaVCIS is proud to support the Safer Parking initiative, the recognised benchmark for secure freight parking across the UK. By working closely with parking operators that have not yet achieved accreditation, we are helping to raise security standards throughout the sector. Increased adoption of the scheme will play a vital role in protecting drivers, safeguarding cargo, and reducing opportunities for criminal activity against the freight industry.”
Alfie Hosker, Head of Safer Parking said:
“Safer Parking Freight is more than providing parking facilities; it’s about protecting drivers, vehicles, cargo and the wider UK supply chain, not only from the opportunist criminal but also against more sophisticated organised crime groups (OCG) who operate across all four nations and beyond.
Our collaboration with NaVCIS represents an important step forward in tackling freight crime and strengthening security across the transport network. By combining industry best practice with specialist intelligence, crime prevention expertise, and enforcement knowledge, we’re helping to raise standards across freight parking facilities, as well as provide greater assurance that accredited sites meet the highest levels of safety and security.
This association demonstrates our shared commitment to reducing criminality, safeguarding goods, supporting drivers and operators, and building a more resilient and secure freight industry for the future. Together, we are creating safer parking environments that give both drivers and operators greater confidence and help protect the integrity of the UK's supply chain.”
By strengthening collaboration between policing, industry and parking providers, Safer Parking Freight and NaVCIS aim to continually support a cohesive approach to tackling freight crime – thus encouraging the development of safer, more secure HGV parking facilities across the UK.
Notes to Editors
What is Safer Parking Freight?
Safer Parking Freight is an official UK Police Service recognised accreditation, awarded to lorry parks and truck stops that have met the requirements of a risk assessment conducted by the Police.
This comprehensive assessment was developed in response to the rise in cargo theft and the Department for Transport’s policies for improving roadside facilities for drivers. Accreditation therefore informs customers of the highest standards in all aspects of the lorry parking or truck stop experience, while it enables operators to effectively showcase the value of their parking facility.
You can learn more about the criteria for Safer Parking Freight accreditation here.
About NaVCIS Freight
The National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) is a national policing unit that works to bring industry and law enforcement closer together to tackle vehicle crime. The NaVCIS Freight Intelligence Desk is funded by more than 70 freight industry partners, hauliers, insurers and trade associations.
Working in partnership with the freight industry, the Home Office, the Department for Transport, National Highways and police forces across the UK, the NaVCIS Freight Desk tackles freight crime and raises awareness of the scale and impact of this criminality. For more than a decade, NaVCIS Freight has acted as the vital link between policing and the haulage sector.
NaVCIS Freight provides specialist subject matter expertise to help businesses prevent, protect against and prepare for freight crime, enabling them to make informed decisions that safeguard their loads, protect their assets and keep drivers safe.
