TAPA EMEA aims to Close the Cargo Crime Intelligence Gap in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe appears to be one of the most secure regions in EMEA when compared to the level of recorded cargo crime statistics of its Western neighbours. But appearances are deceiving.
Incidents happen daily in Eastern Europe – damaging reputations, disrupting operations, and feeding black markets.
TAPA EMEA’s new Regional Lead for Eastern Europe, Ionel Popa, is aiming to ‘change the narrative’ across a market which sees transportation companies shutting down after identity thefts, overwhelmed law enforcement, and growing risks for legitimate businesses.
“We need to shift the narrative from denial to proactive risk management,” he says.
That’s no mean task but as a Chinese philosopher once said: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step….”
The first step is one that continues to be challenging across virtually all the Europe, Middle East & Africa region; improving incident reporting. It’s a top priority, Ionel says, because in many countries in Eastern Europe, cargo crimes go “severely underreported – and this creates a dangerous illusion: no data, no problem.”
But the reality on the ground tells a different story. “The fight against cargo crime must begin with visibility, not silence. TAPA EMEA’s TIS intelligence platform gives us the structure to do exactly that – capture the real picture and act on it,” he adds.
Reporting or pushing for reporting cargo crime incidents in Eastern Europe benefits the industry’s resilience. One of the ways he plans to do that is to “evangelize TAPA EMEA” as the subject matter expert in the region. As part of this commitment, he aims to attend as many regional events as possible to access supply chain security stakeholder audiences and to optimise networking opportunities.
He is also keen to gain support from other Eastern Europe experts within the TAPA EMEA Family as well as local points of contact in law enforcement agencies, which would be a “major asset” to the Association and its members. “Many LEAs face rising crime rates but are also constrained by limited budgets. Establishing a dedicated communication channel at country level would allow us to share intelligence on trends, MO’s, and risk patterns, and explore joint mitigation actions. We recognise that the structure and approach may differ based on each country’s priorities, but we can be flexible to the requirements of LEAs.”
At this early stage, the most immediate support is likely to come from the private rather than public sector – and it should. “Whether you’re a carrier, freight forwarder, customer, or manufacturer, the problem of cargo crime will affect you. It’s only a matter of time. You have two choices: take action and join the fight against organised crime or wait and react once it hits you and be in catch-up. I truly hope more companies in Eastern Europe will come together under the TAPA EMEA flag to proactively protect their people, assets, and reputations, and let’s start with data because the fight against cargo crime starts with visibility, not silence,” he said.
If you have incident information, LEA or other contacts which will support TAPA EMEA’s focus on Eastern Europe, or if you want to volunteer your time and expertise to become more actively involved, please contact ionel@tapaemea.org
