Croydon has seen the highest number of stolen animals in south London, with dogs topping the list. The stats are quite alarming!
Croydon: It turns out that Croydon has the highest number of stolen animals in south London. The Metropolitan Police shared some eye-opening data about this issue.
From February 2014 to February 2024, there were 353 reports of stolen animals in Croydon alone. That’s a lot! For context, Barking & Dagenham had the most in London with 1,293 reports.
When it comes to Croydon, dogs were the most commonly stolen animals, with 160 reported missing. Fish came in second with 91, and cats were third with 48 reports.
Interestingly, there were also reports of stolen birds and even reptiles. Can you believe that? Only about 5% of these stolen animals were ever recovered, which is pretty disheartening.
Most of the cases involved theft and handling, meaning the animals were not just taken but were also involved in illegal activities. Some were stolen during burglaries, while others were taken by force.
March 2021 was a particularly bad month, with 84 animals reported stolen. It’s a tough situation for pet owners in the area.
