#1. Cash. Cash is always on the top of burglars' wish list. Unlike other most commonly stolen items that need to be resold in pawn shops or on the street, cash can be used directly and quickly without any conspicuous.
Tires and Wheels
Long a favorite with car thieves, tires and rims are easy to remove with only a few tools and some cinderblocks. And they're easy to re-sell.
Jewellery, consumer electronics like phones, tablets and laptops as well as portable hardware tools and equipment all rank highly as stolen goods claimed under insurance[1]. A distressing trend is the increase in burglars targeting homes to steal car keys.
“The most popular items that burglars are looking to steal are typically cash, jewelry, and electronics.
A thing capable of being stolen must have ownership8 or possession, value, and it must be a movable property. The movable property capable of being stolen must be in existence.
If your car gets stolen, it's probably your fault
Race car driver and automotive expert Lauren Fix says “valuables” include the obvious items like laptops, purses, and GPS units, but that thieves will even go for money in the center console and closed bags that simply look like something of worth may be inside.
It is commonly touted that men are more likely to shoplift than women – however, this is based on data from 1980 and may be outdated. Approximately 1 out of 11 people in the US are shoplifters. ¼ of shoplifters are children. 55% of shoplifters began shoplifting when they were teenagers.
Per CRR, there are, in fact, a few food items that make the list of most-stolen, including packaged meat and coffee. Alcohol also unsurprisingly makes the shoplifting list, with the spirits most often pilfered being whiskey, champagne, and gin.
Apart from precious metals like gold and silver, the metals most commonly stolen are non-ferrous metals such as copper, aluminium, brass, and bronze. However, even cast iron and steel are seeing higher rates of theft due to increased scrap metal prices.
A lighter is one of the most commonly lost items, along with pens and wallets. For a smoker, a lighter is an essential item — that person needs his or her lighter to light cigarettes around 20 times a day.
Unfortunately, because of their increased worth, people are stealing catalytic converters, typically ripping them out from beneath a parked car on the street.
Reported catalytic converter thefts increased by 325% between 2019 and 2020. The reason for stolen converters is the explanation behind any theft — money. The rhodium, palladium and platinum used in these parts are valuable, and rhodium can go for $20,000 per ounce, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
Tesla Model S
The Model S is one of the most secure electric cars you can buy in 2022. Its anti-theft features make it a carjacker's nightmare. Tesla owners can use their smartphones to track the whereabouts of their vehicles.
“The reason brightly colored vehicles like white and yellow cars are less likely to be involved in an accident is the same reason they're less likely to be stolen: visibility,” explains Jake McKenzie, Content Manager at Auto Accessories Garage.
Returning an Item Due to Remorse
Because intent is present, it is entirely possible to prosecute a person for stealing an item they later return. The return is irrelevant to the charges. The person took the item on purpose and permanently, and that is all the prosecution needs to know to seek justice.