industry focus
UK parcel theft rockets to all-time high
The first ever global report into parcel theft has revealed figures are at an all-time high.
Produced in conjunction with British research group YouGov, the report by Penn Elcom states that the UK has witnessed a 5 per cent rise in such theft across the last 12 months, with customers suffering from £320 million in missing goods.
The survey highlights that close to one-in-ten individuals across the world said they had experienced at least one parcel being lost or stolen between May 2021 and April this year. That amounts to a staggering 1.009 billion packages globally at a total cost of £33.6 billion.
The survey has revealed that the world experienced an all-time high of stolen or lost parcels, with an estimated global rise of 155 million compared to the previous 12-month period, despite initiatives being put in place to tackle the surge since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This figure represents upwards of a 2 per cent increase.
UK residents have reported a blanket increase in parcel problems across the nation since the previous 12-month period, with 12 per cent of people reporting a parcel lost or stolen. That’s up from 7% between May 2020 and April 2021. Regional results for parcel problems include four times more parcel thefts and losses in Wales than during the previous 12-month period making it the worst affected area in the UK while there was double the amount of parcel thefts and loss year-on-year in Scotland, the Midlands and the East.
The Penn Elcom Parcel Theft Report also reveals that a staggering 32 per cent of individuals surveyed in the UK have had a package lost or stolen in their lifetime, which amounts to 21.5 million parcels. That figure is “expected to rise” unless preventive measures are put in place. Full-time workers appear to be the most ‘at-risk’ group for incidents.
Penn Elcom’s chair Roger Willems said: “A surge in online shopping accelerated by COVID-19, along with seasonal rushes, means couriers are under intense pressure to deliver parcels quickly. Professional thieves are known to follow delivery vans, stealing packages minutes after they are dropped off, while opportunistic thieves take advantage of parcels being left on doorsteps.”
According to the Penn Elcom Parcel Theft Report, the UK saw the largest increase in parcel theft and loss between May 2021 and April 2022. Australia is second nationally (at 3 per cent) and Canada has witnessed a 2 per cent rise, followed by a 1 per cent rise in the US and the UAE.
Roger Willems added: “If measures are not taken on a global scale, we expect ‘parcel piracy’ to continue to rise as the number of global parcel deliveries increases. We are doing our best to help delivery companies and drivers, who are under extreme pressure, and to save online shoppers the headache of waiting at home for parcel deliveries, rearranging missed deliveries and traipsing to parcel depots, as well as the heartache associated with lost and stolen goods.”
