PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(12 June 2026)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of crimes targeting lorries at motorway services; what consideration her Department has given to mandating the introduction of security by motorway service providers who charge fees to park on the premises; and what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to tackle night time crime on lorries at motorway services.

Asked by:
Bradley Thomas (Conservative)

Crime recording falls under the remit of the Home Office. Police‑recorded crime data does not separately identify freight crime or its location; therefore, no assessment can be done on the number of incidents at motorway services or analysis of trends over time. However, the Home Office have conducted a pilot initiative within a small number of police forces, which trialled the use of a hashtag to identify freight-related offences within their crime reporting systems. This approach aimed to improve visibility and tracking of freight crime. The pilot has now finished and data from the forces who participated in the pilot has been requested and we are awaiting their manual return. After the data has been received an assessment will be made of the effectiveness and further steps will be considered at that stage along with further discussions with stakeholders as appropriate.

The DfT Circular 01/2022 requires motorway service areas signed from the strategic road network to provide free parking for a minimum of 2 hours for all vehicles permitted to use the facility, including HGVs. Provision of services beyond the minimum requirements in the circular are a matter for motorway service area operators.

Through the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Match Funding Grant Scheme, the government and industry are delivering up to £35.7 million of joint investment to upgrade truck stops in 30 counties across England, improving both safety and working conditions for drivers. This funding is helping operators to deliver security improvements, including enhanced CCTV coverage, perimeter fencing, improved lighting, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems and new and upgraded security barriers. In addition, National Highways and industry are investing up to £30 million to enhance facilities on the Strategic Roads Network, including investment in security measures.

The department has also developed the Road Transport Security Standards (RTSS) to support the commercial freight sector in improving the security of vehicles, drivers and operations. The RTSS is a voluntary, industry‑led framework that promotes good practice to reduce risks such as vehicle theft, hijack and misuse, including risks that can arise when drivers are operating or resting away from base locations.

Answered by:
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