York Regional Police recently recovered $1.4 million in stolen cargo – including BBQs, household appliances and a baby grand piano — thanks in part to an online cargo crime reporting program from Insurance Bureau of Canada and the Canadian Trucking Alliance.
Police officers raided multiple warehouses in Vaughan and Toronto. The merchandise was part of 15 separate loads that had been diverted and re-routed while in transit to retail distribution centres and shipped to independently owned warehouses for storage until the items were illegally sold.
Police said the majority of the property recovered has since been identified and returned to the owners with the help of the IBC cargo theft reporting database.
This past march, CTA worked with IBC to create a real-time, online reporting form for insurers and carriers. Law enforcement agencies from across the country have an ability to query the data collected by IBC, assisting in the recovery of stolen goods and apprehension of perpetrators. Data is captured, analyzed and shared, enabling the analysis of regional trends through a national lens.
“This is an excellent example of the effectiveness of our process. With the help of IBC’s program, police were able to quickly identify the source of the stolen goods and return them to their rightful owners,” said Garry Robertson, IBC’s national director of investigative services.
To access the IBC-CTA reporting system, click here.