Alcohol ‘most stolen item’ from retailers in 2015

Data from more than 100 UK supermarkets and stores has revealed that alcohol topped the list of the “most stolen” items in the UK last year.

Despite an increase in security measures such as tags and clear plastic security boxes, alcohol was the most stolen item of 2015, with more recorded thefts than perfume, electrical goods and phones.

According to a report by national security company company MonitoredAlarms.co.uk, which compiled a top ten list of the most stolen items in the UK, shoplifters cost Britain’s retailers £800m per year.

Spokesperson Jonathan Ratcliffe said: “You’ll notice that the most stolen items are those that are easily concealed, and that’s a major problem for smaller stores, because not everything can be covered with security tags without making a nonsense of the whole shopping experience.”

“It’s impossible to watch every customer, and experience tells us it’s not always the ‘dodgy-looking’ ones that are the worst offenders.”

From the shops and stores quizzed, ranging from major chains to family-run convenience stores, the top ten items stolen in 2015 were alcohol, perfume, razor blades, bags – plastic and reusable, coffee, meat and cheeses, electrical goods, phones, clothing and finally, sporting goods.