“I am scared. Sometimes I don’t feel safe in the building that is my home.”
Parcel piracy. It’s a swashbuckling term for a crime that’s anything but glamorous.
It happens when thieves steal parcels from doorsteps and flat entrances.
Last year, the total value of parcels stolen this way in the UK soared to £376 million- up from £204 million in 2023.
Exclusive data from South Yorkshire Police now suggests that parcel thefts are rising in Sheffield.
The latest figures show a sharp spike in reported crimes during November and December 2024, pointing towards a troubling upward trend for local residents.
"It's probably not the biggest problem that we have right now in Britain. But it's these little things that aren't looked into that make people feel desperate, and lose hope."
“They know they can get away with it. There's no fear. The police don't have any interest in tackling any of it.”
Calin Gruia, Little Kelham resident
Calin Gruia meets me at his local neighbourhood bar in Kelham Island on a Friday afternoon.
It’s a hip, affluent, and tight-knit community: residents gather to play boules on Christmas Day, organise litter picks on Saturdays, and take turns watering the community flowerbed.
Calin tells me that neighbours always keep an eye out for each other, and will often take in parcels left outside to keep them safe.
But on the rare occasion one is missed, it doesn’t stay safe for long.
In October last year, a £250 pair of headphones were stolen from his doorstep.
“I think it’s a sign of the times - hard times pushing people to do things they wouldn’t do otherwise. It could be that people steal for the little ones, to be able to give them a gift."
Calin was one of just six people in Sheffield who reported a stolen parcel to the police in October 2024. But the lack of action has left him regretting his decision.
“If you report it to the police, the only thing that happens is it goes into a statistic, and that statistic helps devalue your house, because there’s more crime reported in the area.
It’s counterproductive to report it. Really, I don’t know why I did.”
Caught red-handed
Watch: Calin describes the shocking moment a thief brazenly steals a parcel from his doorstep.
Watch: Calin describes the shocking moment a thief brazenly steals a parcel from his doorstep.
Despite reporting the crime and submitting to footage to the police, the culprit has never been found.
“It's like a lucky dip for thieves"
Nick Hewitt, Philadelphia House resident
It's hitting people in blocks of flats the hardest.
“We do see a spike in the winter months around Christmas, but it’s a year-round problem,” says Nick Hewitt, who lives in Philadelphia House on Penistone Road.
People such as Nick who live in flats are 24% more likely to fall victim to parcel theft than those living in houses, as thieves take advantage of weak and failing security.
Tailgating: it has become a serious issue in flat blocks across Sheffield
Tailgating: it has become a serious issue in flat blocks across Sheffield
Nick is speaking to me via Zoom from his kitchen, joined by his neighbour, Bouka Mins. Nick is a widower with a young son, but he arranges childcare on Thursdays so he and Bouka can share a takeaway.
Aside from Nick’s son, they both live alone, and have both had parcels stolen or rifled through in the past. They try to take in parcels for each other, but it’s not always possible.
“In apartments, you mainly have professionals without kids or single people, so they’re less likely to be at home to collect a delivery. When you have a family, you’re more likely to have somebody at home,” explains Bouka.
She says she has reported the issue to the police and her building management, but has received minimal response.
Now, the ease with which thieves are able to break into her building has left her feeling vulnerable.
Nick nods in agreement. “In the police's eyes, it’s petty theft. It’s not going to see a big criminal conviction- it’s not like they’re arresting someone who’s carrying a knife and threatening people. But it makes you angry, doesn’t it?”
Image source: Nick Hewitt
"We had to stand by nearly a thousand pounds, it was horrific."
Councillor Ben Miskell
Unwrapping the problem
Even the Chair of Sheffield City Council's building regeneration committee isn’t immune to parcel theft.
Councillor Ben Miskell and his partner recently had a parcel containing an iPhone worth over £1000 stolen from outside their flat.
The councillor believes solutions need to be built into the city itself, ensuring future developments don’t leave deliveries exposed.
"Many of the buildings were designed before we had this revolution in parcel delivery and home shopping. The building that I live in the city centre for example has outside post-boxes, so we've had to retrofit a parcel box into it.
It's not perfect.
As we develop further buildings across the city it's something that we need to be mindful of, but it's something that the police need to take action on as well."
Ben and his partner chose not to report the theft to the police. Their reasoning was based on responsibility: they argued that the true victim of the crime was Apple, as they never received the parcel.
I reached out to South Yorkshire Police for a comment on the rising crime rate. Below is the exclusive statement they provided:
Searching for a solution
The residents we spoke to feel there is little point in reporting a stolen parcel to the police.
The reality is that choosing to report stolen parcels will help the police better understand the scale of the problem, making them more likely to take action.
But, as shown by the experiences of Calin, Nick, and Bouka, the solutions above proposed by the police- such as relying on video doorbells or ensuring someone else is home to collect the delivery- don’t take into account the increasing boldness of thieves, and the unique challenges faced by those living alone.
For now, all three of them have turned to parcel lockers for added security.
Penistone road Tesco's parcel locker
Penistone road Tesco's parcel locker
Bouka and Nick feel there are two key improvements that could be made to their building which would fix the problem: CCTV, and secure parcel lockers inside their flat entrance.
Building management have turned their requests down.
They’re not alone.
Johnathan Tooton, who lives in Millau flats in Kelham, overhears my conversation with Calin at the pub and shares his own frustrations. "My building is an obvious target," he says. "Management need to frost the windows, set up a parcel locker out of view, and give us access to CCTV, but they refuse to act."
It’s a complex issue, but it’s Sheffield's residents who are paying the price.
Stuck in limbo, they find themselves caught between overwhelmed delivery companies, a police force with bigger priorities, and building managers unwilling to take action.
