Difference Between Robbery and Theft

The difference between robbery and robbery is that robbery is violent and robbery is not. However, both consist of misappropriation.

Theft is a crime against property that consists of the undue appropriation of someone else's personal property without the use of force, both in access and against people. We can say, therefore, that theft, unlike robbery, is not violent. In this way, this crime occurs when we steal something that is not ours. But in addition, it must meet some conditions, such as the profit motive . Thus, taking something to examine it would not fall within criminal conduct.

Criminal considerations of the difference between robbery and theft

As we have already mentioned, it differs from robbery in that the latter uses violence. In addition, depending on the value of the goods, a series of degrees are given which in turn are related to the penalty. On the other hand, we are facing a property crime, that is, it is aimed at the personal property of the victim and not at physical or psychological harm.

For this reason, absence of force in the crime, the penalty is usually much less. In this way, most of the criminal codes of the different countries clearly differentiate between the two. In fact, the penalties for acts of violence are usually much higher, marking a clear difference.

Theft in the world

Let's look at some examples of how different countries deal with this crime. It must be taken into account that the considerations seen before are usually common in all of them:

• In Spain, theft also has some aggravating factors. For example, the repetition of offenses if the offender reoffends three times within a year. There is also aggravated theft, which takes into account what was stolen and its historical, artistic or similar value. Also if it falls on essential goods or minors are used.
• In Argentina it is regulated in the penal code. There is a crime of theft when there is no violence and there are a series of aggravating factors similar to those in Spain.
• In Venezuela there is a difference between aggravated and qualified robbery. The first usually has to do with the importance of the good. The second is classified as such if, even if there is no personal injury, yes, among others, there are materials in goods not related to the one that has been the object of the theft.