Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many instances of domestic heating oil theft have been recorded by the police in the last year.

This Government recognises the devastating impact theft and other forms of neighbourhood crime has on communities and businesses. That is why we are recruiting 20,000 extra police officers and have introduced the Safer Streets Fund to prevent these crimes from happening in the first place, supporting the deployment of solutions such as home security, increased street lighting and CCTV in high crime areas.

The Home Office has not provided specific guidance to the police on preventing the theft of domestic heating oil. Practical crime prevention advice on reducing the risk of fuel theft, including domestic heating oil, is published on the Secured by Design website, developed by the Police Crime Prevention Initiatives: https://www.securedbydesign.com/guidance/crime-prevention-advice/fuel-theft.

The Home Office does not hold data on domestic heating oil thefts.