Security Intelligence · European Markets

Cargo crime across EMEA surged more than 1,000% between 2021 and 2023. Organised retail crime is accelerating even as headline theft figures fall. EU NIS2 regulations now impose mandatory physical security requirements on data centres across all five of our key European markets. This post maps the most significant crime and security trends across France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland — and shows where Gardner Engineering’s UK-manufactured camera mounting solutions address the specific vulnerabilities criminals are exploiting.

The Pan-European Picture: A Tale of Two Trends

At first glance, European crime statistics look encouraging. Eurostat data for 2024 shows overall EU registered thefts fell 2%, robberies fell 4%, and burglaries dropped 2.6% year on year. But beneath those headline numbers, a very different story is emerging — one that should concern anyone responsible for warehouses, logistics facilities, data centres or retail operations.

The paradox of falling totals and rising risk: Criminals are moving away from high-volume, low-value opportunistic theft towards fewer, higher-value, highly coordinated operations. Overall crime volumes fall — but the incidents that do occur are more organised, more sophisticated, and significantly more damaging.

Cargo Crime: The Numbers That Matter

↑
+1,000%
EMEA cargo crimes
13,008 (2021) → 103,529 (2023)
↑
+438%
EU cargo loss value
€102M (2022) → €549M (2023)
↑
+91%
Avg loss per incident
€107,957 → €206,665
↓
−2.0%
EU overall thefts
5.37M → 5.26M (2024)

The divergence is stark. EU cargo losses nearly quintupled in a single year — driven not just by more incidents, but by a fundamental shift in how criminals operate. The average EMEA cargo theft incident nearly doubled in value between 2022 and 2023, as criminal groups moved from volume operations to targeted, high-value strikes.

How the Methods Are Shifting

TAPA EMEA intelligence data reveals a clear tactical evolution between 2023 and 2024:

Method 2023 share 2024 share Direction
Intrusion (cutting/forcing locks) ~18% ~35% ↑ Fastest growing — dominant by mid-2025
Hijacking (vehicle/cargo takeover) ~12% ~21% ↑ Now 1 in 5 cargo crimes
Fake carrier fraud (BE/NL/FR) ~8% ~15% ↑ Fastest growing in Western Europe
Theft from depot/warehouse ~28% ~24% ↓ Slight decline
Theft from vehicle ~22% ~18% ↓ Declining share

Intrusion has become the dominant method — criminals physically cutting open curtain-sided trailers, forcing perimeter gates, or breaking depot locks. This makes elevated, wide-coverage external camera mounting more critical than ever: a camera positioned at ground level cannot capture what is happening at the perimeter before an intrusion begins.

Retail Crime: Organised Groups Driving Losses

Retail theft is undergoing the same structural shift. Germany — a reliable leading indicator for France, Belgium and the Netherlands — recorded a record €4.95 billion in retail losses in 2024, up 3% year on year. Organised retail crime (ORC) now accounts for approximately one third of all customer theft, up from around 28% the year before. ORC losses in Germany alone approached €1 billion.

The key dynamic: organised retail criminals systematically identify stores with inadequate camera coverage at entry/exit points, display areas and staff-blind-spot zones, and coordinate multi-store operations. The solution is not more cameras — it is better-positioned cameras with the right mounting to eliminate the coverage gaps they exploit.

Data Centres: Physical Security Is Now a Legal Obligation

The October 2024 entry into force of the EU’s NIS2 Directive has fundamentally changed the compliance landscape for data centre operators across Europe. Data centres are now classified as “essential entities” — meaning demonstrable physical security measures are a legal requirement, with fines of up to €10 million or 2% of global turnover for non-compliance.

The physical security case is clear from the data. IBM’s 2024 Cost of Data Breach Report shows physical security breaches cause approximately 10% of all malicious data breaches, at an average cost of $4.46 million per incident. European infosec investment is responding: median organisational spending doubled from €0.7M to €1.4M between 2022 and 2024 according to ENISA. But investment in cyber defences without equivalent investment in physical surveillance leaves a critical gap.

A camera that cannot cover a server room corridor or a data hall entrance at the right height and angle is a compliance failure, not just a security gap.

Country by Country: Risks and Solutions

Here is how the picture looks in each of the five markets we serve across mainland Europe, with the specific Gardner Engineering mounting solution that addresses each challenge.

 

France
Crime Index: 55.4 — Highest in Western Europe  ·  14.6% of all EU cargo thefts
↑
+14.6% of all EU cargo thefts (TAPA EMEA 2023)
Warehouse break-ins — In December 2024, 30 pallets of electronics worth €30M were stolen from a warehouse near Paris after criminals disabled CCTV and alarms. Depots without active surveillance at height are primary targets for organised groups.
✔  Wall-mounted goose necks & swan necks — tamper-resistant height mounting covering loading bays and perimeter fences. NPT1.5 and M6 bolt options for all major PTZ and fixed camera brands.
↑
Hijackings over 20% of cargo crimes (TAPA EMEA 2024)
Logistics hub hijacking — French motorway rest areas and logistics parks are recurring hotspots. Organised gangs use vehicle theft, fake carriers and GPS jamming to intercept freight worth an average €82,000 per incident.
✔  ANPR pole clamp arm brackets (300mm–490mm) — Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras at precise angles on existing poles or gateposts. No groundworks required.
↑
Organised retail crime +5% YoY — now 1/3 of all retail theft (EHI 2024)
Organised retail crime surge — TAPA EMEA logged a €150,000 single-store theft in France in July 2024. Inadequate CCTV coverage allows blind spots to be exploited systematically by coordinated gangs.
✔  Internal VESA ceiling drop pole system — optimal camera coverage at 6–8ft, 15–150kg rated, three-step install: mount, pole, bracket.

 

Netherlands
812,000 police-recorded crimes (2024)  ·  Average cargo loss soared to €554,854 per theft
↓
Incidents fell 78% but average loss soared to €554,854 (TAPA EMEA / Imbema 2023)
Port and warehouse cargo crime — fewer incidents but organised groups now cherry-pick high-value targets. Cartridges and firearms stolen directly from Rotterdam facilities in May 2024.
✔  Swan neck with antenna mount — dual CCTV + wireless AP on one bracket. Ideal for port perimeter coverage where both surveillance and network connectivity are critical.
↑
16% of population: cybercrime victims (CBS Netherlands 2024)
Data centre physical access risk — the Netherlands hosts AMS-IX, Europe’s largest internet exchange. Physical breaches cause 10% of all malicious data breaches at $4.46M average cost.
✔  Internal ceiling drop pole system — scalable CCTV inside server halls and colocation facilities, coupleable to 9m, rated to 150kg.
↑
€50M stolen in a single Amsterdam raid (Eurojust case record)
High-value premises attack — the Schöne Edelmetaal heist: seven masked gunmen loading gold and diamonds. Commercial properties without adequate perimeter surveillance at all entry angles are highly exposed.
✔  Corner mount brackets & junction box goose necks — cameras at building junctions covering the angles straight wall mounts miss. 8 RAL colour finishes available.

 

Belgium
Crime Index: 49.4 — Major Benelux cargo transit hub  ·  Fake carrier fraud growing fastest here
↑
Fake carrier fraud: fastest growth in BE/NL/FR (TAPA EMEA 2024)
Fake carrier freight fraud — criminals impersonate legitimate hauliers to intercept cargo. Warehouses without camera coverage of handover zones are highly exposed. This method is growing faster here than anywhere else in EMEA.
✔  Box-mounted goose neck with junction box — cameras positioned directly above loading bay doors and handover zones. NPT1.5 threading and M6 bolt options for compatibility with all leading camera brands.
↑
16 cargo incidents in Belgium in May 2024 alone (TAPA EMEA)
Logistics centre infiltration — insider-enabled cargo crime exploiting CCTV blind spots in packing and dispatch areas.
✔  ONPole mount universal brackets (97, 108, 123 and 145mm diameters) — cameras added to any existing pole or structural column inside warehouses. No installation contractors, no structural works.

 

Luxembourg
Highest EU GDP per capita  ·  130+ banks  ·  NIS2 obligations in force October 2024
↑
NIS2 fines up to €10M for non-compliance (EU Directive 2022/2555)
Financial sector and data centre compliance obligations — NIS2 mandates demonstrable perimeter and internal surveillance for all essential entity operators. Luxembourg hosts AWS, Google and 130+ banks.
✔  Heavy duty ceiling mount pole bracket (100kg rated) with fully flexible tilt-and-turn bracket — 8 RAL colour finishes for prestige interiors or server halls.
↑
Cross-border exposure: France, Belgium and Germany all border Luxembourg
Cross-border organised crime — cargo in transit near E411 and E25 corridors is vulnerable to coordinated theft operations from neighbouring countries.
✔  ANPR pole clamp arms + NPT extension poles (250–1000mm) — deployed without groundworks, clamping to existing infrastructure. Four standard lengths for flexible installation.

 

Switzerland
Ransomware +300% (NCSC 2024)  ·  #1 EU pharma cargo target  ·  Eurojust-documented jeweller raids
↑
6 gang members indicted for coordinated Swiss jewellery store raids (Eurojust 2022)
Luxury retail robbery — cross-border organised crime documented raiding Swiss jewellers, taking store managers hostage. High-footfall stores with poor perimeter CCTV coverage are prime targets.
✔  420mm outreach wall-mounted goose neck — extended camera reach to cover wide shopfronts, canopied entrances and street-facing display windows. Eliminates the blind zones that criminals exploit on approach.
↑
#1 European target for pharmaceutical cargo theft
Pharmaceutical warehouse crime — Roche, Novartis and Lonza are all headquartered in Switzerland. Stolen pharma cargo carries public health risk if it re-enters supply chains without proper temperature storage.
✔  Universal swan neck with optional security tag for camera safety cord — prevents camera displacement or removal during a security incident. All NPT and spinning variants available.
↑
Ransomware +300% year on year (NCSC Switzerland 2024)
Data centre breach risk — Swiss nDSG data protection law mandates demonstrable physical security for data processing facilities. Physical breaches cause 10% of malicious data breaches at $4.46M average cost.
✔  Complete internal system: ceiling mount, steel drop pole, VESA monitor bracket and ONPole camera bracket — scalable surveillance, rated to 150kg for heavy-duty deployments.

New Market Application: AMRC-Validated Wi-Fi Bracket Performance

Gardner Engineering’s mounting systems have found a new application beyond CCTV — and independent university testing has validated the performance case. Working with the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), we tested whether our existing bracket range could effectively position Wi-Fi access points in large industrial and commercial spaces. The results, published in March 2025, are clear-cut.

AMRC Test Results: Workbench (1m height) vs Mounted Bracket (6–8ft)

Report SCANP_NWA_02-AMRC, University of Sheffield AMRC, March 2025. Eight test locations, industrial shopfloor environment.

↓ LowerLatency (ping)Lower & more stable across all 8 locations +89%Download speed — LOC362.5 → 117.9 Mbps +46%Download speed — LOC6 peak168.8 → 247.1 Mbps ↑ BetterUpload speedsImproved at LOC1–LOC4, LOC5 & LOC7

The AMRC concluded that elevated bracket mounting reduces signal obstruction from furniture and metal surfaces, delivering more even signal distribution — validating Gardner Engineering’s existing range for positioning Wi-Fi access points in large industrial and commercial premises with no product redesign required.

The Gardner Engineering Product Range

All Gardner Engineering products are designed and manufactured in the United Kingdom. Our two core ranges cover every installation environment — from outdoor perimeter mounting to internal server room deployments.

External Camera Mounting

  • Wall-mounted goose necks (NPT1.5 female/male, 3×M6 PTZ, 420mm outreach)
  • Box-mount goose necks with integral junction boxes
  • Swan necks — universal, detachable, twin NPT1.5, with antenna mount
  • Corner mount brackets for building junctions
  • ANPR pole clamp arm brackets (300mm & 490mm)
  • Drop poles and NPT extension poles (250mm–1000mm)

Internal Camera & VESA Mount System

  • Ceiling mounts: standard (25kg) to heavy duty girder/purlin (150kg)
  • Fully flexible tilt-and-turn bracket (50kg)
  • Steel poles 1m, 2m, 3m — coupleable to 9m max
  • VESA 75/100/200/400 monitor brackets (25–50kg)
  • ONPole universal brackets (97–145mm diameters)
  • 8 RAL colour finishes available

Talk to Us About Your European Security Requirements

Whether you are protecting a warehouse in Normandy, a data centre in Amsterdam, a logistics hub in Antwerp or a luxury retail outlet in Zürich — we have a UK-manufactured mounting solution for your specific application.

Email sales@gardnerengineering.co.uk
Call 01772 504234

Sources

TAPA EMEA Intelligence System 2024–25; Eurostat Crime Statistics 2024; ENISA NIS Investments Report 2024; IBM Cost of Data Breach Report 2024; EHI Retail Institute Germany 2024; Statistics Netherlands (CBS) 2024; NCSC Switzerland 2024; University of Sheffield AMRC Report SCANP_NWA_02-AMRC (March 2025); Eurojust case records 2022; Numbeo Crime Index 2025.