‘Shocking’ number of thefts from businesses

KIRKLEES business owners have been urged to lock up their valuables after figures revealed the scale of thefts from firms in West Yorkshire.

Items totalling £34m were stolen from businesses across the county between 2013 and 2016, according to figures from West Yorkshire Police. Nationally, £184m worth of items were stolen from businesses during the three years under review, according to the data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) by self storage company Space Station.

Greater Manchester had the highest recorded number of thefts out of the 20 police forces which responded to the FOI request, with 141,887 cases recorded over the three-year period.

West Yorkshire was next with 110,053 thefts followed by Derbyshire with 96,369. Northamptonshire saw the biggest increase in incidences of business theft, rising by 70% between the years 2013 and 2016. This was followed by Bedfordshire with a 35% increase and then Lancashire (20%) and Cambridge (18%).

Business theft was defined as recorded offences of theft of commercial goods from businesses in the UK. This included theft from shops and stalls, running away without paying, attempted theft or theft by an employee. Vlatka Lake, marketing manager at Space Station, said the figures were “shocking” and added: “Although many of these crimes aren’t preventable, it is important to be extra vigilant to stop cases like this recurring and to safeguard people’s livelihoods.”