REVEALED: Number of LEGO thefts recorded in north Wales
The Leader has recently been taking a look through North Wales Police's Freedom of Information (FOI) Act archives.
One request made asked for; 'The number of recorded shoplifting and burglary offences where 'LEGO' is explicitly mentioned in police reports, broken down by year?'
That FOI reveals that the following LEGO thefts were made over the last four years;
2021 - 5
2022 - 6
2023 - 17
2024 - 9
2025 (so far) - 6
That gives a total of 43 LEGO thefts.
Among the shops stolen from are B&M, Smyths Toy Stores and Game sites located across north Wales.
Listed among the reports of thefts in 2021 was an incident where a man attempted to steal £700 worth of LEGO.
In 2022, there was a case where distraction techniques were used by two men. One distracted staff members, while another stole four big LEGO sets to the value of £676.
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Among the long list in 2023 were a £300 haul being stolen and a further case of a £280 quantity of LEGO stolen.
Last year saw a man and a woman enter an ASDA store and steal LEGO sets, along with various other toys and items, by concealing them in a pram buggy
All in all, the FOI shows that at least £3,500 of LEGO has either been stolen or attempted to be stolen from north Wales shops (Total worth of stolen items are not given in some cases).
North Wales Police has been approached for further comment as to just why people target LEGO specifically.
A staple of many childhoods, LEGO also has links with Wrexham, having once been manufactured and distributed in the county.
Initially, the world-famous bricks were produced in a factory on Hugmore Lane on Wrexham Industrial Estate in the early 1960s.
Later LEGO built a new UK distribution centre on Ruthin Road, featuring three giant LEGO bricks outside. The site closed in 2000.
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