Piracy in the Tuffleyverse

Much of the detail of whether piracy or privateering is a problem 
will depend on:

1. Your assumptions about superluminal travel (hyperspace versus 
realspace, point-to-point jump versus multi-jump passages, unlimited 
jump lengths/times vs. limited, intercepts possible mid-passage or 
not, jump-points versus jump-anywhere and anything in between, etc)

2. Your assumptions about military/police forces (strong, weak, 
capable only in the core, extensive reach limited omniscience, 
limited reach and blind, corrupt or honest, well funded or not)

3. Your assumptions about colonies( defenseless versus heavily 
defended, ground mount weapons viability, availability of defsats and 
ability to secure and control local space, etc)

4. Your assumptions about the economics of cargo theft, vehicle theft 
and resale in whole or as components, etc.

6. Your assumptions about the ease of interception of a ship between 
ports (in jump, before or after jump, or making journeys in-system or 
time in orbit/on planet/making planetfall/refueling by skimming etc)

7. Your assumption about the volume of shipping going on (and how 
much of a dent losing a freighter will mean - is privateering thus 
feasible or not as an instrument of economic warfare)

All of these play into if/if not and how piracy could be feasible in 
your universe. Also note that modern day pirates have agents in 
shipping offices and ports who spot targets for them and they 
sometimes take targets right in the port!