PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
CASH AND VALUABLES IN TRANSIT ATTACKS (18 January 2007)

That this House deplores the continuing rise in the number of cash and valuables in transit (CVIT) attacks against security industry staff over the past three years; expresses concern at the increased levels of violence and use of weapons such as guns and knives in such attacks; notes that four crew members and one member of the public were shot during 2006 and increased numbers of couriers have sustained serious injuries during these attacks; commends the bravery of the crews that undertake this essential public service; welcomes the joint initiatives pursued by the GMB union and the British Security Industry Association in order to prevent attacks and protect employees and the general public; recognises the success in certain areas of the UK such as Merseyside where measures have been introduced by police forces to target CVIT criminals; notes a dramatic increase in the number of attacks in some other metropolitan areas; calls for greater national consistency across all police forces to tackle this crime; calls on national crime fighting agencies to address CVIT attacks as part of a wider organised crime agenda; and calls for the Government to re-classify this type of offence from business crime to recognise the serious nature of these attacks and the scale of human damage that is caused in almost every case and to reflect the importance of the work undertaken by the CVIT industry in maintaining liquidity in the UK economy.

Sponsored by:
Jim McGovern (Labour)