"We have noted those who will be sitting on this new body," said RHA Chief Executive Roger King. "Politicians and the police naturally, and others directly engaged in police-related activities. But there is no representative of the customer, i.e. business and the general public. I thought this Government encouraged stakeholder participation?".

"We wonder if, in drawing up national strategic priorities for policing whether that priority will be centred on league tables for crimes dealt with to prove how on the ball everyone is, or the rather more time consuming detective work needed to tackle, for instance, lorry crime.

"We are disturbed by conversations we have had with police officers that resources are not available to deal with difficult cases such as this if at the expense of quick fixes".

The Road Haulage Association will continue to press for greater action on the growing problem of lorry crime and will highlight the issue at its Security Seminar at Towcester on 7 November 2006.