Stolen parcels data 01/08/2023 – 31/07/2024

Request

Q1. How many instances of parcel theft (i.e. parcels stolen from somebody’s doorstep, or other cases where thieves steal a package, for example by impersonating a delivery person or homeowner) were reported between the following dates? (NOTE: If the request will be too time-consuming, please share the most recent cases first)

• 01/08/2023 – 31/07/2024

Q2. If possible, can you share the number of reported instances of parcel theft (i.e. parcels stolen from somebody’s doorstep, or other cases where thieves steal a package, for example by impersonating a delivery person or homeowner) by month for each of the date ranges provided in question one or, if this is not possible, any data that would make it possible to calculate this?

Q3. If possible, can you share either the total reported value of stolen parcels for the date ranges provided in question one or, if this is not possible, any data that would make it possible to calculate this?

Q4. If possible, can you share the most common time of day when parcels were stolen (using the date ranges provided in question one) in the following format, or, if not possible, any data that would make it possible to calculate this?

• A - 09.01 – 17.00
• B - 17.01 – 22.00
• C - 22.01 – 09.00

Q5. If possible, can you share the most common age of the people reporting theft (for the date ranges provided in question one) in the following format, or any data that would make it possible to calculate this?

• A - 21 and under
• B - 22-34
• C - 35-44
• D - 45-54
• E - 55-64
• F - 65 and over

Q6. If possible, can you estimate how long (hours per month) in total that your employees spent on any work relating to reported theft of parcels?

Q7. If possible, can you share the number of reports you received split by type of dwelling/address where the reported incident took place?
• -Detatched house or bungalow
• -Semi-detatched or terraced house
• -Apartment/flat
• -Office/business
• -Any other

Response

We approached our Crime Management Data Returns Administrator for assistance with your request. The Connect System is used to record complaints or allegations of those matters, which the Home Office specify should be recorded as ‘crime’.

They provided us with the enclosed spreadsheet and the following explanation of their search criteria:

Please note –

• Extracted on 07/08/2024. Data from CONNECT only. This is a live recording system and may be subject to change.
• The above criteria considers where the offence is theft of mail or mail/parcel has been stolen as part of another offence (e.g. a burglary)
• It is not possible to provide an accurate figure for the monetary value as both the ‘Property Value’ and ‘Quantity’ fields are not mandated requirements, and therefore not recorded for all offences. In addition, if both ‘Property Value’ and ‘Quantity’ are recorded, then we are not certain whether the value recorded relates to multiple items or individual items i.e. Property – postal item, Value 300, Quantity 2 (we cannot determine if the value is 300 per postal item or 150 per postal item).
• The majority of the premises types are not recorded – this is not a mandatory field in Connect

Q1, 2, 3, 5 & 7. Please see attached spreadsheet.

Q4. Please see table below. 

Q6. We cannot provide an answer for Q6 – we would be unable to say or estimate how long officers spent on an investigation.

Please note, every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that data has been extracted from data sources used by this force for police purposes. The detail collected to respond specifically to your request is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording systems and information assets.

The figures provided therefore are our best interpretation of relevance of data to your request, but you should be aware that the collation of figures/data for any requests may have limitations, and this should be taken into account when those data are used.

Police forces do not use generic systems or identical procedures for capturing the data. For these reasons this response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with responses you may receive from other police forces.