Recorded cargo crime in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region continue to show an alarming rate of growth, with 598 new freight losses recorded in Q2-2016 representing a 92.9 per cent increase year-on-year, according to the Transported Asset Protection Association's (TAPA's) Incident Information Service (IIS) database. Of the new incidents reported to TAPA's IIS for the three months ended 30 June 2016, 43.1% gave a loss value, producing a combined value for products stolen in these crimes of EUR19,334,815, a significant rise on the EUR5,301,828 for the same period in 2015. The Q2-2016 figure, when added to crimes with a value reported in Q1 of this year, adds up to a loss of EUR27,314,438 of products in EMEA in the first six months of this year, based on crimes reported to IIS. In Q2-2016, TAPA says it recorded cargo losses in 18 countries in the EMEA region, including 21 major thefts involving a loss value of EUR100,000 or more. Most of these high-value losses occurred in the UK, which accounted for eight of the 21. Based on all crimes reporting a value, the average loss for cargo thefts in the quarter was EUR74,941. The biggest single loss reported to IIS in Q2 involved a violent robbery of an HGV at a destination facility in Northamptonshire in the UK on 15 April and the theft of toys/games valued at EUR3,111,007. This was one of three, seven-figure losses in the three-month period. In the other incidents, thieves in Paris broke into a facility on 26 June and stole two safes containing EUR3 million of luxury watches, while in April EUR1 million of hazelnuts were stolen from a warehouse facility in Piedmont, Northern Italy. TAPA's intelligence on product thefts shows 91.4 per cent of all reported crimes in Q2-2016 occurred in just six countries; the U.K, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Russia and Italy. Overall, 47.5% or 284 of recorded crimes in the quarter took place in the UK, mostly in the East of England and the East Midlands. The 70.7% of UK crimes that gave a loss value were worth a combined EUR11,149,590. TAPA, which also operates highly-respected industry security standards for facilities and trucking, is now also looking at a new standard to increase the number and quality of secure parking locations, particularly throughout Europe. Q2 data showed that 527 of the 598 new cargo crimes were thefts or attempted thefts involving trucks, with 'theft from vehicle' the most recorded type of incident at 315 or 52.7% of cases. It also reconfirmed that most of losses take place when trucks stop at unsecured parking locations, often when drivers are required to take mandatory rest breaks. In the three months to the end of June 2016, TAPA EMEA was notified of 251 incidents at unsecured parking locations, 42% of all crimes in this reporting period. The use of violence or 'threat with violence' was recorded in 26 or 4.3% of incidents in Q2. There were also 21 cases of truck hijackings with 10 of these having taken place in South Africa and six others in Italy. IIS also captured information on two incidents of 'theft from a moving vehicle' in the UK and Russia. Data for the last quarter also continued to reinforce TAPA's message that virtually all products, Irrespective of their unit cost, are now at risk of theft from the supply chain. Food an drink products, the most stolen goods in the whole of 2015 and Q1 2016, were once again the IIS product category with the highest number of losses; 76 or 12.7% of the Q2 total. Overall, the TAPA IIS database received information on losses in 18 separate product categories. Seven of these averaged at least one theft a week or more in Q2 2016: 1) Furniture/Household Appliances with 42 incidents or 7% ; 2) clothing & footwear - 34 or 5.7% ; 3) cosmetics & hygiene - 32 or 5.4% ; 4) tools/building materials - 23 or 3.9% ; 5) tobacco - 22 or 3.7% ; 6) car parts - 18 or 3% ; 7) tyres - 14 or 2.3% . Other losses included metal, pharmaceuticals, computers/laptops, toys/games, phones, sports equipment, cash, bicycles, agricultural materials, and jewellery/precious metals.