Metropolitan Police Service Practice Test

The key idea is the mental element: theft requires an intention to permanently deprive the owner of their property. If someone takes something with the aim of keeping it or disposing of it as their own, that satisfies the requirement. But if the person intends only to borrow it or return it, there’s no permanent deprivation, so it isn’t theft. Likewise, if the owner consents to taking the item, there’s no deprivation to begin with. The value of the item doesn’t matter—even a low-value item can be theft if there’s an intention to permanently deprive.