FOI 290-2025 / Mar 2025 / Theft
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 290-2025
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 5th March 2025 as follows:
Please can I get data on the number of luxury watches and handbags that have been stolen between 2019 -2024? By luxury, I mean watches and handbags worth £2,000 or more. I would like data in calendar years. I have split my requests up in two sections.
SECTION 1: Luxury watches
1) Please could you provide information on how many thefts of luxury watches there have been for the following years: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
2) What were the top 10 most commonly stolen luxury watch brands? For each brand, could you list the total number of luxury watches stolen during 2024?
3) What were the top 10 most common locations where luxury watches were stolen? (For example, hotel/restaurant/street/pub/gym). For each location, could you list the total number of luxury watches stolen during 2024?
SECTION 2: Luxury handbags
1) Please could you provide information on how many thefts of luxury handbags there have been for the following years: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
2) What were the top 10 most commonly stolen luxury handbag brands? For each brand, could you list the total number of luxury handbags stolen during 2024?
3) What were the top 10 most common locations where luxury handbags were stolen? (For example, hotel/restaurant/street/pub/gym). For each location, could you list the total number of luxury handbags stolen during 2024?
Please find the Warwickshire Police response set out below.
Response: Please be advised that the requested information is not available in a readily retrievable format. There is no way of readily identifying from the Crime Recording System where an offence involves the taking of a watch or handbag. Keyword searches are not carried out routinely as they are not reliable, they will only bring back records where the chosen keyword(s) is present within the MO Description / Incident Summary of an investigation, these are limited free text fields and do not contain all information in relation to an investigation. Therefore, in order to determine the information requested, if recorded, it would be necessary to manually review each and every offence of theft, burglary and robbery, recorded during the specified period, to first identify whether they involve theft of a watch or handbag, and then to ascertain whether the value is recorded indicates that the item cost £2000 or more. Any records located would then require further scrutiny to obtain the further detail requested. This would involve examining thousands of records on an individual basis and therefore, the work involved in locating and retrieving the requested information would exceed the cost threshold of £450, which equates to 18 hours work at a standard rate of £25 per hour, as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.
In accordance with section 12(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a Refusal Notice for this request.
In accordance with Section 16 of the Act, I have a duty to provide advice and assistance in relation to refining your request; however, due to the volume of records that would need to be manually reviewed, I am unable to suggest a way to revise your request to allow information to be retrieved within the fees limit.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided is as accurate as possible.
Your attention is drawn to the below which details your right of complaint.
Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write or email the Freedom of Information Unit quoting the reference number above.
Yours sincerely
Freedom of Information Officer
Freedom of Information Unit
Warwickshire Police
PO Box 4
Leek Wootton
Warwickshire
CV35 7QB