The launch of Police Scotland’s Retail Crime Taskforce and Action Plan, which will use the dedicated funding of £3m announced in the Scottish Government’s Budget for tackling crime against retailers, has been welcomed by Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) .
Incidents of abuse and violence towards shopworkers continues to rocket and official data shows thefts from shops leapt 18% in 2024 to 43,000 incidents. In addition, one in five Scots witnessed shoplifting taking place whilst in a store last year, according to polling by the Scottish Retail Consortium and Opinium Research.
David Lonsdale, Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said:
“Crime against retailers is a scourge on communities across Scotland and soaring levels of thefts from shops is a key factor behind rising levels of abuse and threats towards store workers. The financial cost pushes up prices for Scottish shoppers and undermines the health and vitality of our high streets.
“Despite better legal protections for shop workers and record spending by retailers on crime prevention, much more needs to be done to reduce crime against retailers. We applaud the greater prioritisation and funding being given to this and the focus on persistent offenders and organised criminal gangs which target retailers.
“It’s a positive start towards what should be a concerted effort across law enforcement and the criminal justice system to turn the tide on crime against retailers, hopefully with the funding sustained over future years.”
