FOI 466737
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 466737
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 2nd April 2026. Please find below the response to your request:
Please can you provide the number if reports you received regarding the theft of used cooking oil in 2021, 2024, 2025 and the year to April 2026.
Reply
West Mercia Police hold the information below
Caveat: There is no specific offence title for the theft of cooking oil, whilst there is a field for recording stolen property on the crime management system it is not mandatory or routinely used. To gain the data below a word search of the incident summaries has been carried out. The crimes have then been reviewed and only included those which involved the theft of cooking oil from a restaurant/café.
The search included “Oil Drum” and “Used Oil”, when reviewing have only included those which were seemingly talking about cooking oil, as opposed to motor oil.
The requestor has specifically stated “Used” oil however the state of the oil is not always included within the incident summary, or any fields that can be retrieved. The state of the oil has been included in the data.
|
Number of thefts of Cooking Oil shown by if "Cooking " was mentioned within incident summary, the state of the oil and the Primary Full Offence Title |
Calender Year |
01/01-31/03/2026 |
Grand Total |
||||
|
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|||
|
Specifically mentioned "Cooking Oil" |
8 |
67 |
22 |
15 |
18 |
6 |
136 |
|
New |
|
2 |
|
|
|
|
2 |
|
Burglary - Business And Community |
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
Theft if not classified elsewhere |
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
Both New & Used Oil taken |
2 |
1 |
|
2 |
1 |
|
6 |
|
Burglary - Business And Community |
1 |
|
|
1 |
|
|
2 |
|
Theft if not classified elsewhere |
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
1 |
|
4 |
|
Used |
5 |
44 |
11 |
8 |
14 |
3 |
85 |
|
Attempted - Theft if not classified elsewhere |
1 |
1 |
3 |
|
2 |
|
7 |
|
Burglary - Business And Community |
|
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
6 |
|
Theft if not classified elsewhere |
4 |
41 |
7 |
7 |
10 |
3 |
72 |
|
Not stated if New or Used |
1 |
20 |
11 |
5 |
3 |
3 |
43 |
|
Attempted - Theft if not classified elsewhere |
|
|
4 |
1 |
|
|
5 |
|
Attempted Burglary - Business And Community |
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
Burglary - Business And Community |
|
6 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
10 |
|
Theft if not classified elsewhere |
1 |
14 |
5 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
27 |
|
Did NOT specifically mention cooking oil |
1 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
1 |
|
15 |
|
Used |
1 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
|
10 |
|
Attempted - Theft if not classified elsewhere |
|
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
2 |
|
Burglary - Business And Community |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
1 |
|
Theft if not classified elsewhere |
1 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
|
|
7 |
|
Not stated if New or Used |
|
1 |
2 |
2 |
|
|
5 |
|
Burglary - Business And Community |
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
Theft if not classified elsewhere |
|
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
|
4 |
|
Grand Total |
9 |
71 |
26 |
20 |
19 |
6 |
151 |