Cargo theft in RJ caused a loss of BRL 388 million in 2022, says study

A study carried out by firjan (Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro) released this Monday (27.Mar.2023) showed that the theft of cargo in the State of Rio de Janeiro during 2022 caused a loss of BRL 388 million. read the full of the survey (612 KB).

Last year, 4,239 occurrences were recorded – an average of 12 cargo thefts per day. The value, however, is the lowest in 8 years and meant a 6% drop compared to 2021.

For Firjan, the reduction in number is due to actions that have been implemented to improve security in the region.

“One example is the Arco Metropolitano, which was included in the Federal Government’s Rio-Valadares concession with plans to invest in safety in the first years of the concession, in addition to the ongoing construction of a Federal Highway Police station on the road. The action of the police forces in São Gonçalo significantly reduced the number of cargo theft incidents and the municipality is no longer part of the map of concentration of this type of crime”says the organization.

About 97% of the cases registered in 2022 were in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro. More than half occurred in just 10 of the 137 Cisps (Integrated Public Security Circumscriptions) in the State.

The Cisps are territorial areas of joint action and responsibility of the Integrated Companies and the Police Stations.

These 10 Cisps are crossed by the BR 040 (Washington Luís), BR 101 (Avenida Brasil), BR 116 (Presidente Dutra) and BR 493 (Arco Metropolitano) highways.

Cisp 59 (Duque de Caxias), located at the intersection of BR-040 with Arco Metropolitano and Dutra, recorded 368 cargo thefts in 2022, the highest concentration of occurrences (8.7%). Compared to 2021, there was a 43% increase in the number of cases in this unit alone.

According to Firjan, the costs of this type of crime go beyond the direct loss. “In 2017, for example, indirect costs, such as hiring private security and insurance against robbery and theft, were higher than the direct loss”, says part of the document.