Police data reveals Northamptonshire businesses suffered most thefts committed by employees in UK

At more than double the national average, employee thefts only fell when the pandemic kept people home
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Police data has revealed that Northamptonshire had the most employee theft in the UK, where employees steal cash, supplies, company property and even sensitive company data.

Titled 'Employee Theft in the UK' the study was penned by Andrew Fennell, who works for StandOut CV, a company that advises people on the best way to write their CV.

Based on 45 Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to all police forces across the country in October 2021, the study compared the number of reported 'thefts by an employee' in an area (for 2019, 2020 and up to October 2021) to the number of employed people working there.

The study found that Northamptonshire had by far the worst number of employee thefts in the country.The study found that Northamptonshire had by far the worst number of employee thefts in the country.
The study found that Northamptonshire had by far the worst number of employee thefts in the country.

By comparing this data, the study found that Northamptonshire had by far the worst number of employee thefts in the country.

In the period observed, Northamptonshire topped the charts of employee thefts with 479 reported cases (which the study claims averages out at 106.2 crimes per 100,000 employees).

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The study also contacted British Transport Police who had experienced a spate of thefts from the UKs railway network by employees. Their total stood at 110 in the period observed, which alone was more than in Belfast (80) or the City of London (53).

The study quoted Jayne Harrison, head of employment law at Richard Nelson LLP who made it clear that, even if an employer can't prove you criminally liable should you steal, it can still haunt your job prospects afterwards.

She said: “It is likely that theft or other dishonesty would be referred to in an employer’s disciplinary procedure as gross misconduct.

“An employer does not have to show beyond reasonable doubt that it happened, just that it has conducted a reasonable investigation and concluded on reasonable grounds that the employee committed the theft. ”

“An employer is not obliged to give a reference to an employee but if they do so it must be an accurate and true reference. Therefore, an employer, if they do provide a reference, would want to give details about the reason for dismissal and any employee trying to find new employment may find that their prospective employer is made aware of the reasons why they were dismissed.

"As such, it may be more difficult for an employee to find new work if they have been dismissed for gross misconduct, although not impossible, as employers tend to view gross misconduct more seriously than other reasons for dismissal.”

The full study can be found on Stand Out CV's website.