Police in the East Midlands are seeing an increase in moving vehicle freight crime, with criminals operating in a very specific and dangerous way.
This appears to be on the rise nationally, as well as within Leicestershire. There have been 16 offences nationally since January 2025, resulting in over £4.5 million worth of items stolen.
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Police said:
‘We are seeing criminals using a number of vehicles to ‘box in’ a lorry to slow it down – but still travelling at speeds of between 50 and 60 mph. Vehicles behind the lorry are almost touching the trailer while offenders move around.
‘The offenders climb out of a hole in the roof of the vehicle and slide down on to the bonnet. One offender then uses a power tool to access the rear door of the lorry and climb inside, handing the contents of the lorry to the offender on the bonnet.
‘The items are then thrown into the car or van through the hole in the roof. All offending vehicles then move away from the lorry, in many cases leaving the lorry driver unaware of what has happened until they come to a stop.
‘People driving on long stretches of roads in the county are asked to look out for offending that may look like this. Main roads such as the M1, M69 and A46 are common roads where this type of crime may take place.
Detective Inspector Claire Hughes said:
“This is a very dangerous crime we are seeing on the roads across the county, with offenders travelling at very high speeds. One wrong move could have a very different outcome for these offenders.
“Any suspicious activity should be reported to us on 999, and specialist officers will be deployed.
“Without reports while the crime is in action, it is very hard to gather the evidence required to bring offenders to justice, as the missing items are only realised once the lorry comes to a stop, often many miles away.”
Call 999 with information.
