The most popular items to steal vary depending on the context (e.g., from a home versus a retail store), but generally include items that are small, easy to conceal, and have a high resale value or are untraceable, like cash and certain retail goods.
The 8 Most Commonly Stolen Retail Products
Top five items stolen in UK retail
They focus on relatively few "hot products," such as cars, laptop computers, DVD players, and cell phones. The hottest product of all is cash, which Marcus Felson describes as "the mother's milk of crime." It is the most frequently stolen item in larcenies, burglaries, and robberies.
The items most frequently stolen during residential break-ins include:
If you understand what burglars steal, you can more easily protect your property: Cash: It's untraceable and portable. Small electronics, like laptops, gaming systems, and tablets that can be factory restored and sold on without being traced. Jewellery: It's Easy to carry and even easier to sell/Pawn.
What is the most common crime in Britain?
The bedroom is often searched first. Living rooms and studies are also often ransacked first. Most thieves are familiar with the usual hiding places for money: In DVD cases.
Top products targeted in grocery store theft
The products most frequently stolen from supermarkets include foodstuffs, hygiene products, cosmetics and fashion accessories: cheese ; meat and charcuterie.
While pets can sometimes be the target of thieves and robbers, livestock was the least common category of stolen items, according to the UCR data.
Batteries. These are small, expensive items in regular demand. Clothing accessories: these include scarves, handbags, purses, gloves and other small and expensive things. Coffee: coffee is an expensive item in regular demand and may be stolen for person use or re-sale.
The Hardest Car Brands to Steal (and Why)
In the year ending June 2013, 307,661 offences were recorded. The figure gradually rose to 382,825 in the year ending June 2018, before dipping to a low of 247,213 in the year ending June 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic. It then rose again to a record of 529,994 in the year ending June 2025.
Burglars also don't want to spend too long in your house, so they'll likely take off with whatever is handy and profitable. Jewellery, consumer electronics like phones, tablets and laptops as well as portable hardware tools and equipment all rank highly as stolen goods claimed under insurance[1].
Cheese – and raw meat in the US – is stolen at a much higher rate than other foods, according to Global Retail Theft Barometer and Checkpoint Systems.
Grand Theft
This type of crime can involve stealing high-value items like electronics, jewelry, or vehicles. It may also include theft of large sums of money. Grand theft is often charged as a felony, with penalties that may include significant fines, restitution to the victim, and imprisonment.
1. Cash. Cash is always on the top of burglars' wish list. Unlike other most commonly stolen items that need to be resold in pawn shops or on the street, cash can be used directly and quickly without any conspicuous.
The odds of shoplifting were significantly higher in men than in women. Native Americans had higher odds than whites, although blacks, Hispanics, and Asian Americans had lower odds of shoplifting than non-Hispanic whites.
look like they're taking little notice of your products. seem a little nervous and possibly pick up random items with little interest. keep refusing your offer of help or assistance. frequently enter your store and never make a purchase.
7 things that burglars hate
Now, let's delve into specific common signs that could indicate your home has been targeted by potential intruders:
Although the bedroom is the most expected room burglars go for, a kid's room is usually not considered, and therefore, never searched. Try to find clever spots within your kid's room and hide your valuables creatively.
Fraud remains a significant problem for the UK and remains the most prevalent crime against individuals in England and Wales, accounting for an estimated 41% of all crime reflected in the Crime Survey for England and Wales in the year ending September 2024.
True crime has never been more popular, especially among Millennials and Gen Z. We spoke to devoted fans and one of Britain's leading creators, True Crime Caitlyn, to uncover why these dark stories captivate a new generation.
The largest cash heist in global history took place in March 2003, when approximately US$1 billion was stolen from the Central Bank of Iraq, shortly after the United States began the 2003 invasion of Iraq.