Why Portcullis
Criminal infiltration is a business risk, not only a security one.
Freight runs on trust: in staff, in agents, in customers and in the instructions that arrive every day. Organised crime groups exploit that trust to move goods, money and information through legitimate businesses.
Portcullis focuses on the points where trust can be exploited inside legitimate freight operations.
What criminal ingress means
Criminal ingress is when an organised crime group gets a foothold inside a legitimate freight business. It usually starts with a person, a counterparty or a message that is not what it seems, not a break-in.
Once inside, criminals use the business's systems, paperwork and reputation to move goods they could not move alone. The business can face financial loss, reputational damage, lost customers and investigation.
Three ways in
People
Staff are targeted because they can open doors. Approaches may come outside work, build over time and involve money, pressure or both.
- Bribery and inducements
- Threats and duress
- Debt and vulnerability
- Information leakage
Counterparties
False businesses create relationships that look legitimate on paper, then use them to route illicit goods or extract value.
- False overseas agents
- Impersonated suppliers
- Newly formed customers
- Fraudulent credit requests
Communications
Faked or altered messages exploit busy teams, often at the moment goods are released or payments are made.
- Look-alike domains
- Changed bank or delivery details
- False identities
- Social engineering
A specialist role
Portcullis is designed to complement broader security, customs and cyber frameworks by focusing specifically on criminal ingress through people, counterparties and commercial relationships.
It is not a police force, a regulator, a trade association, a physical security company or a cybersecurity provider. It gives freight businesses a practical standard for this one risk, and the tools to meet it.
How it works in practice
Assess
Understand your exposure, starting with the Initial Exposure Check and continuing through certification.
Educate
Give staff the knowledge to recognise approaches, false counterparties and manipulated instructions.
Verify
Apply CLUES consistently before committing to new counterparties and unusual shipments.
Inform
Stay aware of emerging methods through Portcullis Intelligence as it launches.
Support
Know what to do, and who to tell, when something feels wrong.
Complementary to broader frameworks
Many freight businesses already work to one or more established schemes. Portcullis is designed to sit alongside them, focused on a risk they do not treat as their primary subject.
Framework descriptions are provided for context only and do not imply endorsement, partnership or formal recognition.
| Framework | Primary focus |
|---|---|
| AEO | Customs compliance and supply-chain security status. |
| TAPA | Physical security standards for facilities and transport. |
| Cyber Essentials | Baseline technical controls against common cyber attacks. |
| FORS | Fleet operation standards for safety and efficiency. |
| Portcullis | Criminal infiltration through people, counterparties and commercial relationships. |
Start with your own exposure.
The Initial Exposure Check takes about five minutes.