10,000 freight vehicles pass through Dover on peak days. Any change to our customs procedure following Brexit is expected to cause disruption to our freight network while also providing opportunities for criminals.
If your business is likely to suffer from the delays at our ports, make sure you have a security contingency plan in place before March 29th.
Plans are to designate a 13-mile section of the M20 as a temporary lorry park to prevent congestion en-route to Dover. These plans pre-existed Brexit, but aren’t expected to be ready in time for March 29th.
Even if Operation Brock – as the plan is called – was ready in time, 13-miles of parking isn’t expected to be enough to deal with the chaos of a worst-case no-deal Brexit scenario.
Dover council has warned that Operation Brock, which is intended as a solution to temporary congestion, would be in place for years following a no-deal Brexit as there is no other infrastructure in place to deal with such significant congestion.
But a no-deal Brexit isn’t the only scenario which should be concerning logistics companies. A delay in the customs process of only 2 minutes per vehicle would create 17-mile traffic jams – and we still have no idea what our new trade agreements will be.
The congestion is expected to be so severe that brownfield sites and Manston Airport are being considered to provide temporary parking for vehicles that can’t make it onto the M20. Trials have been performed, but there is no news on what sites will be ready by Brexit day.
Delays at Dover will have knock-on effects throughout the entire logistics infrastructure. It’s likely that temporary parking won’t just be a reality surrounding our ports, but across the country as freight infrastructure becomes congested.
Motorways and temporary parking sites aren’t secure. Without security infrastructure in place, there’s nothing to deter organised criminals from cracking open a lorry and stealing its cargo.
At Magenta Security, we see a yearly spike in robberies of lorries the run-up to Christmas due to the increased numbers of goods on the roads and congestion of the freight network. We need to prepare for the possibility of a similar spike in crime occurring post-Brexit.
If you have to keep more lorries parked up, make sure the site has robust and visible security in place. We can provide short-term security packages, including CCTV towers, which can be quickly set up at temporary sites.
When transporting high-value goods, you may want to consider hiring a security escort to ensure the delivery is made safely. We can even include cross-channel security so that your driver and goods are protected throughout their journey.
We have extensive experience providing robust security services for logistics companies, and we’ve been planning for the worst-case Brexit scenario for the past six months to ensure our customers remain protected no matter happens.
This has included a contingency fund to secure any additional resources we may require and adjustments to our recruitment process to protect against any loss in staff.
Don’t hope for the best without preparing for the worst, call our award-winning customer services team now on 0800 772 3786 or email us at abbey@magentasecurity.co.uk.
