Acquisitive Crime “is a criminal offence, such as theft, aimed at acquiring property for the offender” (Oxford Dictionary of Law Enforcement, 2007). It is often described as “volume crime” that is “any crime which, through its sheer volume, has a significant impact on the community and the ability of the local police to tackle it and includes priority crimes such as street robbery, burglary and vehicle-related criminality” (College of Policing).
Organised Acquisitive Crime (OAC)exists where Organised Criminal Groups concentrate their offending into areas which offer the greatest profit.This includes metal and catalytic converter theft, car key burglaries, as well as transit robberies and attacks of ATMs. According to the National Crime Agency, who saw a reduction of such crime during the Covid-19 pandemic, “OAC focusses on high harm and cross border strands of vehicle crime, robbery, burglary, and heritage and cultural property crime” (National Strategic Assessment of Serious and Organised Crime 2021).
Organised Criminal Groups may also be involved in acquisitive criminal activity through the criminal exploitation of vulnerable people (see Modern Slavery and Exploitation), such as forced begging and forced theft (including shoplifting and pickpocketing).