As part of the scheme, small silicon chips will be implanted within pallets and cases stored in warehouses and depots. The chips are then linked to the Tri-Mex satellite tracking systems and the company’s Oslo control centre to alert customers and law enforcement agencies alike whenever distribution plans are disrupted by possible theft.
The new venture is being trialled as part of the Labour Government’s ‘Chipping of Goods Initiative’ to demonstrate the effectiveness of RFID technology in tackling transportation and property crime.
The programme is more commonly known as the ‘Chipping of Electronic Freight Security (CHIEFS) Initiative’.
Announcing the RFID project, home office minister John Denham commented: "The cost of transportation and property crime can be considerable – to industry, Government, the police and consumers. This initiative will make it more difficult for offenders to steal and sell stolen property, and easier for the police to recover it".
Only last month a consignment of the ‘next generation’ Nokia mobiles was stolen from a cargo bay at London’s Heathrow Airport.