Shoplifting continues to rise in Scotland

Independent retailers in Scotland are calling for more action from the government and police to tackle the continuing surge in the number of cases of shoplifting.

Recorded crime figures released this week by the Scottish government revealed that shoplifting increased by 15% compared to the previous year (from 43,556 to 50,300 crimes) and increased by 137% from the year ending December 2021 (from 21,234).

However, the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) maintains that the actual numbers are much higher, as many incidents go unreported due the level of response from the police and failure by the courts to take tougher action against offenders.

The Fed is calling on politicians, police, and the courts to take retail crime seriously and ensure independent retailers receive the protection they urgently need.

National President Hetal Patel said: “These figures are shocking but sadly not surprising to our members, who see stock vanish from their shelves on a daily basis.

“Shop theft is not a victimless crime, it pushes up prices for honest customers, undermines small businesses, and places staff in danger.

“A 137 per cent rise over just four years threatens the very survival of many independent shops, and it’s no wonder so many are closing.”

The Fed’s Scottish president Hussan Lal said: “While we are pleased that the Police Scotland scheme to tackle retail crime has been extended, we will continue to call for the Scottish government to back small independent retailers through targeted grants to improve security in our stores.

“I would urge all parties to include this and other measures to combat retail crime in their manifestoes ahead of the elections in May.”