BOCA RATON, FL: As the European Commission continues its discussions on cargo security at Russia's airports, the Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) has announced new standards for manufacturers and the logistics industry to combat organised crime.

TAPA says the new requirements are a response to coordinated attacks by organised gangs that involve armed and violent hijackings of vehicles, facilities and employees as well as fraudulent pick-ups, fake police stops, bogus personnel, slashing open trailer curtains and attacks on moving vehicles.

Paul Linders, who leads TAPA's global standards committee commented: "Cargo crime as a whole is increasing and one of the biggest challenges we face is getting businesses and law enforcement agencies to report loss data to help us understand the true scale of the problem and to provide intelligence that helps companies plan their supply chains using the latest market information. The cost of a single loss can be between 4-11 times its original value, hence the TAPA standards can significantly contribute to measurable supply chain risk management."

TAPA says 2013 figures for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region showed an increase of 66 percent with an average loss for the 1,145 recorded crimes of €235,000. The value of the 10 largest cargo losses last year was over €55 million.

For the first quarter of 2014 some of TAPA's 800 worldwide members reported 216 incidents for the EMEA region, including 32 with an average loss of over €210,000. The biggest single crime was the theft of €5-6 million of smartphones near Charles de Gaulle airport.

In the U.S., the same period produced 196 thefts with an average loss per incident of $216,208. The largest single crime was the hijacking of a truckload of cowboy boots in Carrolton, Texas with a declared value of US$2.26 million.

In Asia last year, TAPA members recorded 215 thefts with an average loss value of US$621,000.