The Transported Asset Protection Association (Tapa) has embarked on a concerted drive to push home the message that collaboration is the most effective means of fighting cargo crime. “It’s not individual companies that are under threat, it’s entire industries,” says Thorsten Neumann, president and CEO of Tapa’s Europe, Middle East & Africa (Emea) region. “If you listen to other industry experts and understand the entire risk you are better prepared to deal with your own challenges. The problem is that people are afraid to be transparent and admit to challenges.” Companies that have bought into the ethos of the organisation – a global security network for everyone in the supply chain – have recorded huge decreases in cargo losses. The global average, says Neumann, is a 47% drop in incidents while for some companies that figure is as high as 80-90%. The collaboration message will be high on the agenda of a conference to be held in Johannesburg at the end of this month where a heavyweight speaker line-up, which includes industry experts and law enforcement, will address the local manufacturing and logistics industry. Tapa’s mission statement is twofold – to create globally recognised security standards and to promote sharing of intelligence among members to create a database of crime incidents which is the first step towards preventing further thefts. While a large percentage of the info is gathered from membership input, collaboration with the police services should play an integral role. And this is one of the key challenges that the organisation faces in the South African context. “Our intelligence information is recognised by Europol and other police services but trying to get more data from the South African Police Service (SAPS) is almost impossible.” It’s an issue that Neumann will address when he visits South Africa later this month to attend the conference. “Transparency is critical and we need to get this message to government and the police force. In the Netherlands, for example, Tapa creates the official police report for that country based on data provided by Tapa members, the police, insurance companies, customs etc. “We are in a similar situation with the UK and Germany. Clearly Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) are the key to success.” Criminals can steal and sell anything nowadays. “There’s no black market because once they’ve stolen the product they can sell it on retail platforms like e-bay. They sell it as a genuine product which means they can make a tremendous profit because they don’t need to say it’s a stolen product.” In this new digital environment where the nature of risk is constantly changing, adapting the global security standards is a clear priority. While the organisation’s current standards relate to warehousing, trucking and truck stops, it is in the final stages of developing its first supply chain cyber security standards that will look at implementing risk mitigation initiatives for issues like spoofing and jamming technology. “If you consider future threats, technology should make our lives easier – but that’s not always the case. Keyless car systems, for example, may be convenient but it’s the most insecure tech on the market.” Which is the motivation behind the new set of standards currently in development. Neumann stresses that Tapa-certified facilities are not a mandatory membership requirement, but members are encouraged to work towards acquiring certification – which he says doesn’t need to add costs. There are three tiers of certification, each with differing requirements. The lowest or entry level for example, can be accomplished through selfcertification. In terms of membership cost, a significant 50% discount is offered to South African members. A full member pays ¤1000 instead of ¤2000 and a Security Service Provider pays ¤2000 instead of the ¤4000 that applies in Europe. “And when you consider all the intelligence you are getting and the networking opportunities, that is not a lot of money.” The conference will be held at Emperor’s Palace on July 26, around the theme “a layered security approach to cargo protection”.
Our intelligence information is recognised by Europol but trying to get more data from SAPS is almost impossible. – Thorsten Neumann
