Items Stolen

Not much is known nationally about the types of property acquired in robberies. The chart below draws on data provided by the Metropolitan Police to indicate which items of property are most frequently lost during a robbery or theft from the person.

Click here for a full size version of the graph

The data does not allow distinctions to be made between offences where one item was stolen, and those where a number were taken. Neither can it be established whether the offender was targeting a particular kind of property or just making do with whatever was available. For example, the large number of credit card thefts suggests they may be a specific target, however it could simply be that each wallet stolen contained a number of credit cards and the offender was more likely interested in the cash than in using the accompanying cards.

Thousands of mobile phones are being stolen by street robbers every month and young people are especially vulnerable. Public information on what can be done to minimise this type of crime has been issued by the Home Office and the advice provides useful information for relevant partners to distribute among their constituent groups.