Parcel thefts & burglaries during festive period 1067/2025
FOI Reference: 1067/2025
Request:
The purpose of this request is to gather data on (1) doorstep parcel thefts and (2) burglaries occurring during the festive period.
Specifically, I am seeking anonymised data on the following:
Burglaries during the festive period
- The total number of recorded burglaries that occurred on the following dates: 24 December, 25 December, 26 December, 31 December and 1 January for each year 2020-2025 (inclusive).
For burglaries during the festive period, if held, indicate whether a suspect was charged for each offence, or if the case remained unsolved and no suspect was identified. If charge outcome data is not readily available, please still provide the number of burglaries by date.
Parcel thefts
- The total number of recorded parcel thefts between 1 January 2020 and 29 October 2025, broken down by month and year.
If doorstep parcel thefts are not recorded as a specific crime category, please provide the nearest available equivalent (for example, theft from a dwelling, theft from doorstep, or similar).
If no such category exists, please identify relevant incidents by conducting a keyword search of crime reports or incident logs using terms such as parcel, package, delivery, or doorstep, and provide the number of records identified.
Response 1:
I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested; however we are exempting part of that information as we believe that the following exemptions are relevant:
Section 30(1)(a) Investigations and Proceedings conducted by Public Authorities
Section 30(1)(a) is a class-based qualified exemption. This means that the legislators when writing the legislation considered that the release of such information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 would cause harm to the public authority or individual concerned. There is therefore no requirement to carry out a HARM Test in respect of such information. However, there is a requirement to carry out a Public Interest Test in order to establish whether the public interest in maintaining the exemption may be outweighed by a wider public benefit in disclosure.
Section 30(1)(a) Investigations and Proceedings conducted by Public Authorities:
(1) Information held by a public authority is exempt information if it has at any time been held by the authority for the purposes of -
(a) Any investigation which the public authority has a duty to conduct with a view to it being ascertained (i) whether a person should be charged with an offence, or (ii) whether a person charged with an offence is guilty of it.
Public Interest Test
Considerations favouring disclosure:
Disclosure of the information would improve the public’s knowledge and awareness and would provide satisfaction to the public that these cases are investigated thoroughly and offenders are being dealt with accordingly.
Considerations favouring non-disclosure:
This exemption covers information held at any time for the purpose of an investigation, whether the case is ongoing, closed or abandoned. To release specific details of an ongoing investigation, as in this case, could undermine and prejudice those investigations. This would impact on the forces’ future law enforcement capabilities by hindering the prevention or detection of crime.
Balancing Test
After considering the advantages and disadvantages in disclosure, it falls upon Dyfed-Powys Police to conduct a balance test on the issues. The strongest argument for disclosure, which is public awareness, needs to be weighed against the strongest arguments for non-disclosure, which in this case is that the release would undermine and prejudice ongoing investigations, which would impact on the forces’ future law enforcement capabilities by hindering the prevention or detection of crime.
Therefore, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.
Please note: A total of 4 offences have been removed from the breakdown of information below due to the fact that Section 30 exemption applies to those offences.
Please note: Volumes below include all burglaries (both commercial and residential) over the dates requested. The dates are based on the offence date, rather than reported date:
2020
1 January 2020: 5 (5x Outcome - Investigation Complete: No suspect identified)
24 December 2020: 2 (2 x Outcome - Investigation Complete: No suspect identified)
26 December 2020: 2 (2 x Outcome - Investigation Complete: No suspect identified)
31 December 2020: 2 (2 x Outcome - Investigation Complete: No suspect identified)
2021
1 January 2021: 6 (4 x Outcome - Investigation Complete: No suspect identified, 1 x Outcome - Victim supports action but evidential difficulties, 1 x Outcome - Victim does not (or has withdrawn) support - named suspect)
24 December 2021: 1 (Outcome - Charged)
25 December 2021: 1 (Outcome - Investigation Complete: No suspect identified)
2022
1 January 2022: 3 (2 x Outcome - Investigation Complete: No suspect identified, 1x - Victim declines/unable to support action - named suspect not identified)
24 December 2022: 5 (5 x Outcome - Investigation Complete: No suspect identified
25 December 2022: 1 (1 x Outcome - Investigation Complete: No suspect identified)
26 December 2022: 3 (1 x Outcome - Investigation Complete: No suspect identified, 1 x Outcome - Charged, 1 x Outcome - Victim supports action but evidential difficulties)
31 December 2022: 4 (2 x Outcome - Investigation Complete: No suspect identified, 1 x Outcome - Victim supports action but evidential difficulties, 1x Outcome - Caution - Adult - alternate offence.
2023
1 January 2023: 2 (1 x Outcome - Investigation Complete: No suspect identified, 1 x Outcome - Adult Community Resolution)
24 December 2023: 6 (4 x Outcome -: Investigation complete no suspect identified, 1 x Outcome - CPS - named suspect, victim supports but evidential difficulties, 1 x Outcome -Victim declines/withdraws support - named suspect identified
25 December 2023: 5 (4 x Outcome - Investigation complete no suspect identified, 1 x -Summonsed/postal requisition)
26 December 2023: 3 (3 x Outcome - Investigation complete no suspect identified)
31 December 2023: 5 (3 x Outcome - Investigation complete no suspect identified, 1 x -Summonsed/postal requisition, 1 x - Police - named suspect, victim supports but evidential difficulties)
2024
1 January 2024: 3 (1 x Outcome - Community resolution, 1 x Outcome - Victim declines/unable to support action to identify offender, 1 x Police - named suspect, victim supports but evidential difficulties)
24 December 2024: 4 (2 x Outcome - Investigation complete no suspect identified, 1 x - Adult conditional caution, 1 x 1- Victim declines/withdraws support - named suspect identified)
25 December 2024: 1 (1 x Outcome - Investigation complete no suspect identified)
26 December 2024: 4 (2 x Outcome - Investigation complete no suspect identified, 1 x -Police - named suspect, victim supports but evidential difficulties, 1x 16: Victim declines/withdraws support - named suspect identified)
31 December 2024: 1 (1 x Outcome -Investigation complete no suspect identified)
2025
1 January 2025: 2 (2 x Outcome 16: Victim declines/withdraws support - named suspect identified.
Response 2:
I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below.
Please note: Volumes below include all `Theft of Mail’ offences for the old system periods and `Theft of mail bag or postal packet’ offences.
|
Month / Year |
Volume |
|
Jan-20 |
0 |
|
Feb-20 |
1 |
|
Mar-20 |
0 |
|
Apr-20 |
0 |
|
May-20 |
1 |
|
Jun-20 |
0 |
|
Jul-20 |
1 |
|
Aug-20 |
1 |
|
Sep-20 |
1 |
|
Oct-20 |
0 |
|
Nov-20 |
2 |
|
Dec-20 |
2 |
|
Jan-21 |
1 |
|
Feb-21 |
0 |
|
Mar-21 |
0 |
|
Apr-21 |
0 |
|
May-21 |
0 |
|
Jun-21 |
2 |
|
Jul-21 |
0 |
|
Aug-21 |
0 |
|
Sep-21 |
1 |
|
Oct-21 |
0 |
|
Nov-21 |
2 |
|
Dec-21 |
3 |
|
Jan-22 |
2 |
|
Feb-22 |
1 |
|
Mar-22 |
1 |
|
Apr-22 |
1 |
|
May-22 |
2 |
|
Jun-22 |
1 |
|
Jul-22 |
1 |
|
Aug-22 |
1 |
|
Sep-22 |
0 |
|
Oct-22 |
2 |
|
Nov-22 |
5 |
|
Dec-22 |
1 |
|
Jan-23 |
0 |
|
Feb-23 |
0 |
|
Mar-23 |
0 |
|
Apr-23 |
2 |
|
May-23 |
1 |
|
Jun-23 |
2 |
|
Jul-23 |
0 |
|
Aug-23 |
2 |
|
Sep-23 |
1 |
|
Oct-23 |
2 |
|
Nov-23 |
1 |
|
Dec-23 |
1 |
|
Jan-24 |
0 |
|
Feb-24 |
0 |
|
Mar-24 |
0 |
|
Apr-24 |
0 |
|
May-24 |
3 |
|
Jun-24 |
0 |
|
Jul-24 |
1 |
|
Aug-24 |
0 |
|
Sep-24 |
3 |
|
Oct-24 |
0 |
|
Nov-24 |
0 |
|
Dec-24 |
0 |
|
Jan-25 |
2 |
|
Feb-25 |
0 |
|
Mar-25 |
3 |
|
Apr-25 |
1 |
|
May-25 |
0 |
|
Jun-25 |
1 |
|
Jul-25 |
1 |
|
Aug-25 |
2 |
|
Sep-25 |
0 |
|
Oct-25 |
1 |
|
TOTAL |
66 |
It should be noted that as a result of the systems adopted by Dyfed-Powys Police in relation to the recording of such information that the information released may or may not be accurate.
Furthermore, it should also be noted that Police forces in the United Kingdom are routinely required to provide crime statistics to government bodies and the recording criteria is set nationally. However, the systems used for recording these figures are not generic, nor are the procedures used locally in capturing the crime data. It should be noted that for these reasons this force's response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other response you may receive.
(This is a response under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and disclosed on 03/11/2025)
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