UK shops are resorting to locking up chocolate bars in anti-theft boxes as thieves increasingly steal them to order, with retailers and police forces highlighting a significant rise in this specific type of crime.

• £250,000: The annual cost of chocolate theft for the Heart of England Co-Op group.
• Sainsbury's, Tesco, and Co-Op are among the retailers implementing new security measures.
• Thieves are targeting chocolate as a high-value item, often selling it on through illicit markets to fund wider criminal activity.