Q IIS Quarterly Report

Transcription

1 Q IIS Quarterly Report Issue January-March 2015

2 Executive Summary TAPA Americas collects, records, analyzes and reports on cargo theft data for the United States, Canada, Mexico and Brazil through the Incident Information System (IIS). While quite comprehensive in the United States and Mexico, cargo theft data collection for Canada and Brazil is still being developed, so information in this report for these countries is mostly qualitative rather than quantitative. For a theft incident to be recorded in the IIS system, the following data points must be known: Mode Product category City and state The previous requirement of thefts to have a known value in excess of $5,000 (USD) has been eliminated in order to include losses and theft attempts with no declared value in order to more accurately reflect the state of cargo theft risk for TAPA membership. Based on theft incidents reported to the IIS that met the above-stated criteria, TAPA recorded 191 theft incidents in the United States for 2014, an increase of 1% from the Q total and a 14% decrease from Q As with other cargo theft reports, the TAPA IIS Report is designed to provide TAPA members with a snapshot of cargo theft in the United States, along with an understanding of trends that affect supply chain security programs for its membership.

3 Q In the first quarter Cargo Theft by Quarter of 2015 (Q1-15), the IIS recorded a $350,000 $300,000 total of 191 cargo thefts in the United $250,000 States. During this 210 $200,000 time, 65 of these 200 incidents occurred $150,000 in January, 60 in 190 $100,000 February, and $50,000 occurred in March. 170 $0 The average loss Q Q Q Q Q value per incident # Thefts Avg Value US$ during this time was $256,966. Through an annual comparison with the previous quarter (Q4-2014), this represents both a 1% increase in volume and a 26% increase in value. When comparing these numbers to the same quarter last year (Q1-2014), this represents a 14% decrease in volume and a 25% increase in value. GENERAL TRENDS In order to enhance the TAPA IIS quarterly reports, modi operandi or product types prominently seen throughout the quarter will be featured, with anecdotes and case studies provided as available Thefts by Quarter and Value Q $400,000 $300,000 $200,000 $100,000 $0 # Incidents Avg Value US$ This quarter s spotlight focuses on the upward trending Linear (# Incidents) Linear (Avg Value US$) average values of stolen cargo. It relies on data recorded from Q through Q to identify trends and provide comparisons and, unless otherwise specified, any data refers to the time period of Q through Q

4 Until recently, reported cargo theft incidents continued a steady increase as the average value trended downward. However, recent months have shown a turning point in this proportionate trend. Several factors contribute to this shift, but the primary contributors are two-fold and symbiotic. Industry, as a whole, recognizes the growing threat cargo criminals import on the global supply chain, and has reacted by continuing to implement countermeasures to combat the threat. Sophisticated criminals continue to respond to implemented security measures by adapting their methodologies and evolving their practices. The volume of easily obtainable high-value cargo has decreased meaningfully, but its targeted theft has resulted in the rise of average values even as the volume of reported thefts appears to decline. As industry leaders react to thefts and secure their supply chains, and the volume of unprotected shipments lessens, the sophisticated and evolving organized cargo criminal will accept more risk in continuing their pursuit of high value cargo yielding higher rewards for less effort. Q recorded an $1 Million+ Thefts Personal Care 6% Home & Garden 1% Food & Drinks 3% $1 Million+ Thefts by Product Type Q Miscellaneous 4% Metals 5% Pharmaceutica ls 6% Tobacco 3% Alcohol 4% Electronics 52% Building & Industrial 1% Auto & Parts 2% Clothing & Shoes 13% average theft value of $321,575 with subsequent quarters experiencing continued increased average theft values. While the industry has been securing its shipments against theft, the organized criminals have had to focus their efforts on higher reward targets in order to make up for the drop in unsecured, high value freight. As a result, million dollar plus losses and high volume Facility Thefts have seen an increase in activity over the past 18 months. Incidents have been reported with greater frequency showing burglars performing thefts from facilities where much more planning is

5 required than a typical Theft of Full Truckload. The additional planning and reconnaissance effort required for these crimes is necessary in order for criminals to maintain the rewards they are used to collecting, while keeping their risk of apprehension as low as possible. Analysis of reported incidents with a declared value of one million dollars or more yields several stark contrasts. First, Electronics account for 52% of these reported thefts. Compared to thefts of all values, this is a 256% increase. Clothing & Shoes recorded 13% of these high-value incidents; 70% higher than a cumulative analysis of all theft values. Although Theft of Full Truckload is still the most prevalent method of theft for milliondollar-plus cargo at 65% of the total, Facility Thefts account for 29% of these thefts, which is 345% higher than a cumulative analysis of all theft values. Geographically, million dollar-plus thefts tend to be clustered in the same hot spots for cargo theft nationally. While some emerging hot spots, such as the Pacific Northwest, are present in this map, most of the high-risk areas for ultra-high value thefts are the same: Southern California, Florida and the Southeastern U.S. including Georgia, and the Mid-Atlantic region. One area that is conspicuously missing is the hot spot that stretches from Houston, TX to Dallas, TX, and into Oklahoma. Thefts > $1 Million (Q Q1-2015)

6 DATA ANALYSIS By Product Category Cargo Theft by Product Type Tobacco Pharmaceuticals Personal Care Miscellaneous Metals Home & Garden Food & Drinks Electronics Clothing & Shoes Building & Industrial Auto & Parts Alcohol Q Q Food & Drinks continues to be the most stolen product type in Q with 31% of total thefts in the U.S. during this time. Products that were primarily targeted in this category include Candy, Cookies & Snacks, Meats, Sodas, Juices, Teas & Water and Canned & Dry Goods. The Electronics category continues to be the second most stolen product type with 14% of the total in Q1-2015, primarily consisting of the perennial favorite Televisions & Displays, as well as the Software, Components & Peripherals subtype. Home & Garden finished third with 12% of the total; the largest share of its thefts (30%) coming from the Cleaning Supplies & Products subtype. The Metals category comes in fourth with 11%; most incidents recorded were from Aluminum and Copper thefts. There was one theft of Precious Metals in Q Cargo Theft by State By State In a surprise turn, New Jersey was the state with the most reported thefts in Q New Jersey, typically fifth through ninth in state rankings, recorded 19% of the country s total thefts. This is an increase of 386% and 84% from Q and Q respectively. Food Q Q Q1-2014

7 & Drinks accounted for 49% of thefts in New Jersey during Q Despite registering a theft rate lower than both comparative quarters; Florida was the second most active state in Q This is a result of the recent and persistent drop in theft volumes within the state of California. Likely a result of several factors, not the least of which is the continued West Coast port slowdown, the volume of freight in the state to drop. Additionally, due to the long delays experienced at the ports, the freight that is unloaded at the docks is less likely to be at rest for a significant amount of time before it is shipped to its final destination. Another interesting note is Arkansas making its first appearance in the top 10 states by earning 78% of its average annual total in just the first quarter of the year. By Location The most prevalent location for large scale cargo thefts continues to be Unsecured Parking, identified in 91% of reported incidents. Of these thefts, 21% occurred at Truck Stops. Thefts from Warehouse or DC location types came in second with 5% of thefts compared to 3% in Q4-2014, and Secured Parking areas accounted for 4% of thefts this quarter. By Value Cargo Theft by Product and Value $1,000,000 $800,000 $600,000 $400,000 $200,000 $0 # Thefts Avg Value US$ Product Type Avg Value US$ Alcohol $43,608 Auto & Parts $89,406 Building & Industrial $14,300 Clothing & Shoes $347,733 Electronics $772,369 Food & Drinks $65,904 Home & Garden $74,458 Metals $387,001 Miscellaneous $220,000 Personal Care $96,373 Pharmaceuticals $186,667 Tobacco $175,000 The average loss value across all incidents was $256,966 for Q1-2015, which is 26% and 15% higher than Q and Q respectively. However, the average losses in specific product types varied. The Electronics product type recorded the highest average value in this quarter with $772,369; 95% and 116% higher than Q and Q respectively. The Metals product type experienced a 570% increase in average loss value from Q and a 223% increase over Q1-2014, coming in second place at $387,001. The third highest average value slot, at $347,733, is held by Clothing & Shoes, surpassing the Q average by 22%, but falling short of Q by 59%. Auto & Parts and Food & Drinks also logged higher than typical theft values with $89,406 and $65,904 respectively.

8 Mexico A comparison of Q vs. Q shows that the number of thefts in January and February reflects a decrease of 26% and 16% respectively in the rate of theft, while March saw a 4% increase. In the following figure we can see the distribution of the number of thefts per month in the first quarters of 2015 compared to Q1 Cargo Thefts 2014 v 2015 The distribution of thefts in Q is shown as follows: January with 32%, February with 26%, and March with 42% (the month in which the largest number cargo thefts were recorded). Overall, there was a 13% decline in the rate of theft during Q compared to Q January February 2015 March The analysis of the search for and recording of freight transport incidents throughout the Mexican Republic performed by the IIS allows us to assess the level of risk in the different regions of the country through statistics, which provide a broad outlook as to which are the leading areas of risk in Mexico. The following map illustrates the levels of risk from high to low in the different highway zones of the Mexican Republic.

9 A total of 179 thefts were recorded during Q1-2015, 36 of which occurred in the State of Puebla, 23 in the State of Mexico, and 16 in the State of Guanajuato. These three states are considered high-risk zones. In addition to having high theft rates, they appear in the list of the ten states with the largest number of cargo thefts. Below is a comparison of the number of thefts in Q compared to Q by state, the list of the ten states with the largest numbers of thefts during the first quarter of 2015, and the distribution of thefts by type of merchandise in the State of Puebla.

10 Cargo Theft by State 2014 v Products Stolen: State of Puebla Thefts by Product Type Puebla 3% 3% Unknown Food & Drinks 11% 6% 5% 33% Building & Industrial Clothing & Shoes Miscellaneous 17% 22% Auto & Parts Pharmaceuticals Chemicals As mentioned above, the State of Puebla experienced the largest number of thefts during Q1-2015, with a total of 36 thefts. A majority of these thefts took place in central Puebla or the state s industrial zone. The types of merchandise most often stolen in the State of Puebla are Food & Drinks and Building & Industrial. The main highway on which these crimes have been committed is the Mexico City- Puebla Highway (MEX-150D), from the section in the area of the border between the states of Mexico and Puebla, to the boundary with the State of Veracruz. The incidents

11 occurred between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 a.m. During the afternoon, night, and early morning, the level of risk in this area is considered High, so it is advisable to maximize precautions at those times. In the San Martin Texmelucan area (San Martin Texmelucan Toll Plaza, at its intersection with the North Arch) there have been incidents of cargo theft, as well as suspicious pickup trucks and [other] vehicles who identify valuable freight with a view to subsequently hijacking the drivers who pass through the area. These acts are often committed with violence and firearms. Most of the incidents of theft identified by the IIS throughout the Mexican Republic provide no precise information on the type of merchandise that was being transported at the time of the theft. For this reason, the percentage of Unknown merchandise is high, amounting to about 38% of all incidents. However, with regard to the thefts for which there is information on the type of merchandise, we know that the merchandise subject to the highest rates of theft are Food & Drinks, accounting for 17% of all incidents, and Building & Industrial, with 16% of all incidents. 1% 2% 2% 3% 4% 6% 7% 16% Thefts by Product Type Mexico 1% 1% 1% 1% 17% 38% Unknown Food & Drinks Building & Industrial Miscellaneous Auto & Parts Clothing & Shoes Electronics Pharmaceuticals The modus operandi used most often by organized crime is Hijacking; this occurs in 50% of the cases. Then comes Theft of Trailer, accounting for 39%, and Warehouse Burglary, with an 11% rate. Most thefts against freight transport occur during loading, representing 58% of the cases. The following figure shows a comparison for Q compared to Q by Type of Event, and a comparison of the Q vs. Q for Theft by Location.

12 Cargo Theft by Type of Event Mexico Q Q Cargo Theft by Location Mexico In-transit Facility Interior Roadside Public Parking Facility Lot Gas Station Rail Yard Theft of Trailer Uknown Q Q Remarks and Recommendations In general, Q saw a 13% decline in the rate of theft, compared to Q The states with the largest numbers of theft incidents in Mexico are Puebla and Guanajuato. The types of merchandise subject to the highest rates of theft are Food & Drinks and Building & Industrial. The main MO used by organized crime is the Hijacking of the driver while on the road. Organized crime is currently becoming more aggressive, using cutting-edge technology to cause shipping companies to lose track of the vehicles through satellite inhibitors that block the signal from the GPS devices implanted in the freight, as is mentioned in the following newspaper report. On March 7, 2015, the Federal Police found a trailer carrying cigarettes 400 meters from Federal Highway MEX-57 on the section of the highway between Matehuala and

13 Huizache. The Inspector General of the Federal Police of Matehuala, Feliciano Torres, reported that, even though the criminals used stateof-the-art satellite inhibitors, the trailer was recovered before it could be buried in a pit. The commander of the Federal Police in San Luis Potosí, Jesús Martínez, said the hole dug for the pit was about thirty meters long by four meters wide, meaning that the criminals had to have used heavy machinery. The president of the Mexican Alliance of Shipping Organizations in San Luis Potosí, Adolfo Torres, called for precautions to be taken in response to this act, which caused alarm in the business 1 Some incidents of theft have occurred when vehicles stop at places not considered safe ( cachimbas [informal truck stops]); due to detours by the vehicles along the way, whether at the driver s initiative or when he is forced to do so by criminals, especially when leaving the yard and on arrival at the destination. Accordingly, it is advisable to make stops at previously defined locations that are considered to be low-risk, and not to make any detours from the authorized route. 1 Excélsior Newspaper: Brazil São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are the only two states for which there is official data, therefore having more precise data in relation to the rest of the states. In addition, they are responsible for 85% of the freight thefts in the country, according to the National Freight Transport and Logistics Association (NTC & Logística). Due to the importance of having access to information about these states, these two regions are analyzed in more detail in this report. Notwithstanding, we highlight that the characteristics, observations and analysis of freight thefts presented here are similar to the rest of the regions of the country. The data was gathered from the Public Safety Office of the State of São Paulo and the Public Safety Institute of Rio de Janeiro, further from open media. The information obtained shows an increase of 6.9% in the number of freight thefts in the State of São Paulo in 2014 in relation to 2013, and an increase of 66.6% in these types of crimes in the state of Rio de Janeiro in the same period, in relation to the previous year. The following map shows the states of Brazilian states classified according to their risk level:

14 State of São Paulo The State of São Paulo ended 2014 registering a total of 8,510 freight thefts, which represented an approximate increase of 7%, compared to The Capital has the 1% 1% 2% 4% 2% 6% 22% Cargo Thefts by Region São Paulo 0% 0% 0% 0% 62% Capital Grande São Paulo Campinas Piracicaba Santos Ribeirão Preto São José dos Campos Sorocaba Presidente Prudente Bauru São José do Rio Preto Araçatuba highest rate of thefts of the state (60%), and is more than twice the rate of the rest of the Greater São Paulo area (23%), which is second in the ranking. Those regions are followed by Campinas (6%), Piracicaba (4%), Santos (3%), and Ribeirão Preto (2%). The remaining regions of the state present percentages that are not very significant in relation to the total state. The region of São José do Rio Preto presented the highest growth of the state, compared to 2013, with 100%. However, even with that increase, its rate continues to be of low significance. The region of Sorocaba is in second place, with an increase of

15 27.5%. Piracicaba, Bauru, and São José dos Campos had growths of 18.8%, 17.6%, and 16.2% respectively. Next were Ribeirão Preto and the Capital, with 11.7% and 11% respectively. Greater São Paulo had an increase of 4%, compared to On the other hand, the rate of occurrences in the regions of Presidente Prudente and Araçatuba did not change. The region of Santos presented a small decline of 2.2%. Finally, Campinas appears as the highlight of the state, presenting a reduction of 20.7% in the number of occurrences of cargo thefts Cargo Thefts by Region Q v Q Q Q The significant reduction in cargo thefts in the Campinas region was explained by Maj. Lourival da Silva Júnior, commander of the 4th Highway Police Battalion, in August He attributed the change essentially to two factors: (1) actions carried out by Tático Ostensivo Rodoviário (TOR [Highway Patrol Overt Tactical Unit]), a unit of the highway patrol police that started using heavy weapons in the fight against crime in the highways of the region; (2) the implementation of technology, with usage of tablets and computerized systems allowing police force members that are in highways to obtain quick information on vehicles and drivers, as well as the capacity of forwarding this information to the centers of control of the region, which in this way have broad knowledge of the highway conditions, occurrences, positioning of the police patrols that are near, etc. Those resources enable the police action to be quicker and more efficient in the fight against crime on the highways. On the other hand, the police are considering the possibility of migrating the cargo theft to theft of greater valuables, due to the increase in bank robberies and on armored cars in the region.

16 In the northern region of the state, and in the region of Sorocaba, there are vast areas that are classified as having Moderate risk. The Capital presented a Severe risk level. On the other hand, Greater São Paulo (excluding the Capital), together with the region of Santos, practically form a large block classified as High risk level. This is related with the intense cargo traffic in the region due to the Port of Santos, the most important port of the country. We can see that the rest of the areas that are classified as High and Elevated risk, in general terms, follow some of the main highways of the state: BR- 116/Via Dutra, Anhanguera and Bandeirantes highways. With few exceptions, they follow the highways, and as the regions become farther away from the Capital, their level of risk diminishes. Rio de Janeiro In 2014, Rio de Janeiro reported 5,889 cases of cargo theft throughout the state. This number represents a 67% increase compared to The regions that showed greater numbers of occurrences were the Capital, comprising 58% of thefts that occurred throughout the state; Fluminense Lowlands with 28%; and Niterói & Lake Region with 10%. The North Fluminense and Northeast Fluminense region represents 2% of the thefts, with South Fluminense and Highland Region representing approximately 1% each.

17 The Capital and Niterói & Lake Region were the regions that had the highest percentage increase in cargo theft Cargo Thefts by Region with 97% and 72% respectively. These Rio de Janeiro regions were followed 1% 2% 1% Capital by South Fluminense, with an increase of Baixada Fluminense 9% 35%, the Fluminense Niterói e Região dos Lagos Lowlands with 32%, Highland Region with 28% Sul Fluminense 14%, and North 59% Fluminense & Norte e Noroeste Fluminense Northeast Fluminense with 6%. The large increase in the rate of thefts in the Capital is related to changes derived from the implementation of the Unidade de Polícia Pacificadora (UPP [Police Pacification Unit]) in several regions of the city. The implementation of these units caused serious losses to the gangs that controlled the drug traffic. The loss of control of many of those regions caused the decline of profit in traffic for gangs, making them search for new sources of income, among these being cargo theft. The criminals actions in Rio de Janeiro are facilitated, among several other factors, by the fact that some resources used in the public safety field are not as efficient as in other regions of the country. Examples: Região Serrana The efficiency in the use of freight baits is compromised, since it is not possible to engage a small police force (two to three officers) to go into a slum (favela) that is protected by heavily armed criminals, which are also willing to engage in confrontation. The action of recovery, both of cargo and baits, demands more police officers and adequate capabilities Support agents, which can't do anything when confronted with the heavy weapons used by the cargo thieves (rifles and weapons of high caliber). It is worth highlighting that Brazilian law only allows support agents and security guards to use.32 or.38 caliber pistols. In the event of doing support service of cash transportation, they are also allowed to carry.12,.16 or.18 caliber rifles. Monitoring, since the robbers have also acted very quickly with opportunity within the city, not allowing the monitoring team time to realize that something is happening. Commonplace in the city of Rio de Janeiro are cases in which the criminals force a truck

18 to stop, and in three or four minutes they quickly open the cargo box, take what they can and escape. On occasions, that type of quick action can go unnoticed by the monitoring team, since it is common for patrol interval configurations to be of five or even ten minutes Cargo Theft by Region Q v Q Capital Baixada Fluminense Niterói e Região dos Lagos Sul Fluminense Norte e Noroeste Fluminense Região Serrana Todo o Estado Q Q The Capital is the region that presented the largest number of thefts (3,436), and also had the highest growth rate (97%). Within this region, the areas that presented higher theft rates were the micro-regions located in the northern and western sections of the city. Capital, Fluminense Lowlands and Niterói are the regions considered to be of Severe to High risk level. Regions considered to be of High risk levels are comprised of Niterói &

19 Lake Region and part of South Fluminense. The rest of the regions are considered to be Moderate to Low levels of risk. General Considerations Considering the country as a whole, we can state that the most stolen products are: Food/Drinks, Cigarettes, Electronics, Pharmaceuticals, Metals, Chemicals, Textiles, Auto/Parts and Fuel. Within these instances of theft, 75% were in urban regions and 25% in highways. The modus operandi that is very common in the country is Kidnapping of drivers, in addition to the auxiliary and support agents, when these are present. They are taken by the gangs and kept prisoners until the cargo has been transshipped and/or hidden. The use of jammers has grown considerably in the thefts, as well as the frequency with which the criminals destroy the truck dashboards searching for a tracking device. Also becoming common in large gangs is the existence of a gang member whose specific function is to find and remove the tracking device. The trend of the gangs measuring the time spent locating baits and transshipping cargo continues. That demonstrates that the investment in technology and freight recovery procedures is producing results. Throughout the year, an increase in the level of aggression by the robbers was noted, particularly against support agents, and in some cases, against drivers, mainly in the 4% 4% 6% 7% 10% Cargo Theft by Product Type Brazil 4% 2% 1% 1% 1% 15% 29% 16% Miscellaneous Food/Drinks Electronics Tobacco Alcoholic Beverages Building/Industrial Agro Home/Garden Pharmaceuticals Auto/Parts Textiles/Shoes Metals Personal Care most violent regions. The use of violence against the victims has not been common, unless they reacted to the assault. However, attacks and incidents of death have been more frequent. The increase in the number of well-planned robberies in plants and warehouses has also been verified. Some of these robberies are committed with the participation of a large number of heavily-armed criminals, showing a high level of knowledge of the routine and logistics of these companies.

20 In its XV Seminar on Highway Freight Transport, held on April 29, 2015, in the House of Representatives in Brasilia, the Associação Nacional do Transporte de Cargas e Logístic (NTC [National Association of Freight Transport and Logistics]) announced recently a partial estimate of a $1 billion BRL in robbed merchandise. Not-recovered trucks (3,200 vehicles, 22% of the total amount robbed) reached around $1.2 billion of BRL. There are places for which insurance companies deny coverage in certain types of cargo. Further to the material losses, the deaths of support agents and drivers are to be included, besides the psychological harm caused to professionals of that field of work that experienced situations of violence. In some cases, they have difficulty returning to work. Consequently, there are carrier companies that are rejecting freights for higher risk regions. A growth in the number of assaults to armored cars and banks has also been noted; the action of the assailants is more violent, employing more heavy weapons and explosives, resulting in significant occurrences of injuries and deaths. In assaults to armored cars, it is customary for the robbers to completely block the highway using trucks, sometimes even in two points (one preventing the armored car from advancing, and the other blocking its possible return), further preventing the approach of the police. An increase in the usage of electronic applications, such as WhatsApp, is seen both from the robbers and the police. In some regions the gangs act, dividing tasks among their members, leaving one member to stop the truck drivers, and to be responsible for analyzing and selecting the target. This member informs his partners when the truck is leaving the site, passing on all the information on the selected vehicle and following it to support the gang in the assault some kilometers ahead. The same application has also been broadly used by the police to expedite their actions, prevent occurrences, and recover robbed cargo or to prevent the robbers from acting. That communication speed has provided more efficiency to police actions by forming a network of information connected to different control centers, private agents and other professionals directly involved in the freight transport protection. Final Considerations Freight theft has increased and expanded in almost all regions of the country. The use of violence in the assaults by criminals has also increased, particularly in the regions of Severe and High levels of risk. The practice of searching and using privileged information continues to be common criminal practice when trying to co-opt drivers, as is also the usage of heavy weapons. The state of São Paulo presented a moderate growth in its cargo theft rate. On the other hand, the growth in the state of Rio de Janeiro was almost ten times greater than that of the state of São Paulo last year. One of the factors that

21 greatly contributed to Rio de Janeiro's growth rate was the migration of crime to cargo thefts after the implementation of the UPP. The profit obtained from cargo thefts has funded drug trafficking activities. Some gangs are acting in a more organized way, well-planned, well-armed and equipped (using jammers, armored cars, etc.), primarily in assaults to warehouses and plants or to high aggregated value freights. However, the opportunity robberies did not yield space to the organized crime; on the contrary, it also grew significantly. Wanting to promote actions against freight theft, entities and associations of the sector have been advocating before the government to approve law projects that increase punishment for recipients and establish annulment of the Cadastro Nacional de Pessoas Jurídicas (CNPJ [National Registry of Legal Entities]) for companies that market robbed cargo. In these last months, we have seen that the increase in the theft scenario has been coupled by a rise in violence (with seriously injured and death occurrences). The development in the techniques used and in the pursuit of increasingly more profitable activities, points to the continuation of losses due to robberies. A new element has appeared on both sides of the battle: the use of mobile telephone applications in exchange of information.