More than 5million families have suffered parcel thefts in the past year, new figures reveal – yet only one in 62 reports to police leads to someone being charged.
asserted
someone → suffer → police
So-called 'porch pirates' are increasingly rampant, with offenders nabbing post left outside homes.
asserted
offenders → call → homes
This was up from 6,851 recorded by 27 forces in the previous 12 months, amounting to a rise of 87 per cent.
One parcel thief was captured by Ring doorbell footage targeting homes in Gravesend in Kent, with footage shared on social media.
A separate survey discovered 18 per cent of people telling of experiencing parcel theft in the past year, with 28 per cent of those reporting it to police.
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cent → record → police
That suggests about 5.1million families across Britain being affected, while two-thirds of victims were aged between 22 and 44.
uncertain
thirds → suggest → 22
More than half of those polled said deliveries were often left outside while they were out, up from 45 per cent to 52 per cent over the past year.
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they → poll → year
One parcel thief was captured by Ring doorbell footage targeting homes in Gravesend in Kent
The culprit has been seen taking items away from various homes across the area, with footage shared on social media
Some 189 charges were pursued by police, while there were 11,658 reported thefts.
Freedom Of Information figures on arrests, with 21 police forces responding, showed there were 462 people detained amid 9,761 reported thefts, the Times reported.
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Times → capture → thefts
West Yorkshire recorded the highest number of thefts, 1,746, followed by Northamptonshire's 1,523 and Essex's 1,355.
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Yorkshire → record → 1,523
Clothing, shoes and accessories were among the most popular items taken, according to 27 per cent of victims.
uncertain
Clothing → take → victims
One fifth told of losing beauty products or cosmetics and 18 per cent electronics or gadgets.
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fifth → tell → products
The poll was commissioned by Quadient, a firm that supplies parcel lockers.
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that → commission → lockers
Quadient's executive vice-president Katia Bourgeais-Crémel said: 'People should be able to shop online without worrying whether their purchases will still be there when they get home.
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they → say → ?
With Black Friday and Christmas approaching, parcels left outside for hours create an easy opportunity for thieves and an avoidable risk for customers.'
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parcels → approach → customers
More than £600million worth of parcels ordered online were stolen from people's porches in 2025.
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worth → order → 2025
Analysts said this equates to roughly a 31 per cent rise in parcel theft year-on-year but that the true scale of the issue is unknown because so few people actually report their missing post to police.
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people → say → police
Meanwhile, a prolific thief who plagued upmarket streets by stealing parcels from their doorsteps was jailed last month after residents turned detective to catch him.
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residents → plague → him
Career criminal Ronald De-St-Aubin helped himself to packages containing designer clothing and champagne delivered to homes in Parsons Green, west London.
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Aubin → help → Green
The stealing spree was finally stopped when angry residents handed police a cache of doorbell footage which caught the distinctive thief in the act.
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which → stop → act
The tattooed 61-year-old, dubbed the 'porch pirate', was handed a jail sentence of 22 months at Isleworth Crown Court.
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old → dub → Court
Sentencing him, Judge Martin Edmunds said: 'When an expected parcel goes missing, it is certainly inconvenient and may result in significant loss.
uncertain
it → sentence → loss
It impacts on the quality of all of our lives.
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It → impact → lives
'When you took the items, you did not know what was in them or the level of harm you might be inflicting on those from whom you stole.
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you → take → whom
In some instances, the retailer will cover the loss, and in other instances the loss falls on the householder.
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loss → cover → householder
'Either way, there is significant loss and where that falls on businesses it leads to higher prices for us all, and with smaller vendors, a real impact on their viability.'
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it → be → viability
When police raided his home in Hammersmith, west London, they found 'empty packages' that were stolen from porches as well as clothing matching what he was wearing on CCTV.
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he → raid → CCTV
De-St-Aubin was then arrested and, having initially denied the charges, pleaded guilty in court to six counts of theft.
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Aubin → arrest → theft
Prosecutor Nabeeha Rehman said the case 'relates to a series of parcel thefts that occurred between July 2026 and September 2026'.
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that → say → July
She said De-St-Aubin first stole an H&M package from Parsons Green resident Trisha Ray containing £196.88 worth of children's clothing, summer skirts and bikinis.
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Aubin → say → clothing
Four days later, he stole three boxes of wine and champagne worth £500 delivered to the home of Charlie Evans in Parsons Green, west London, from the online retailer Winedrops on July 17.
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he → steal → July
Later that same day, he helped himself to a Vinted parcel containing an Isabel Marant designer jacket worth £60 belonging to Perrine Parker.
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he → help → Parker
Only weeks later on August 8, De-St-Aubin stole another parcel containing children's clothing from Arket to the value of £195.40, as well as ceiling light fittings worth £150 two days after that.
And on September 5, two days before his arrest, he claimed an Amazon parcel containing cosmetics, a kitchen product and a DVD titled 'The Ascent of Money' belonging to Caroline Begg-Smith.
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he → steal → Smith
Father-of-two De-St-Aubin, from Hammersmith in west London, was convicted of breaking into a skateboard shop just four weeks before his latest spree.
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Aubin → convict → spree
Judge Edmunds said of that burglary, which marked his 41st conviction: 'There was, once again, CCTV of him inside the shop rifling the tills, taking the items.'
Tamasin Graham, defending, said De-St-Aubin had 'a pattern of acquisitive offending spanning over decades' beginning when he was aged just 13 in 1978.
She said the porch thief, who relies on benefits and has a history of drug use, had suggested that he was once subject to torture but provided no evidence for the claim.
uncertain
he → say → claim
Judge Edmunds said: 'Some may say he is too busy touring the streets looking for things to steal.
uncertain
he → say → things
You have said everything you possibly could in these circumstances.'
uncertain
you → say → circumstances
He added: 'Home deliveries are part of our lives.
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deliveries → add → lives
As one householder said: "Parcels should be able to be left on my doorstep without me fearing them being stolen".
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them → say → doorstep
Ronald De-St-Aubin was caught on doorbell footage stealing parcels from homes in Parsons Green, west London
Annoyed homeowners grew so frustrated that they presented police with evidence of the distinctive looter
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they → catch → looter
was arrested by police, who later recovered some of the missing items from his address
De-St-Aubin, 61, was described as a prolific criminal after he stole numerous packages containing clothes, wine and other items
De-St-Aubin has 41 previous convictions, most recently for the shop burglary on June 16 this year, for which he was originally sentenced to a community order.
asserted
he → arrest → order
Detective Sergeant Andy Swindells, of the Metropolitan Police, said after the sentencing: 'Ronald De-St-Aubin is a career criminal whose offending had a significant impact on his victims.
'
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offending → say → victims
He was identified from CCTV and we arrested him as he left his flat.
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he → identify → flat
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
