Independent retailers and MSPs discuss the retail crime epidemic in the Scottish Parliament and what needs to be done to tackle it.
By Sarah Britton
Staff at Broadway Convenience Store in Edinburgh were left feeling fearful and vulnerable this autumn after three masked and hooded men entered the store while they were serving customers and stole vapes from the shopfloor.
Owner Dennis Williams told MSPs about the deeply upsetting incident at a meeting of the Scottish Grocers’ Federation’s (SGF’s) Cross-Party Group for Independent Convenience Stores, which took place in Holyrood in September.
The sheer brazenness of people to enter a store during the day and openly steal vast quantities of products is reflective of how bad things have become, but Dennis blames slow police response times and a lack of action for the rise in retail crime. “There’s that many incidents that don’t get [reported] because retailers know nothing’s going to happen and that’s very sad,” he told SLR. “Shoplifting is spiralling out of control.”
Londis Solo Convenience owner Natalie Lightfoot also spoke to MSPs about her ongoing battle against retail crime at the cross-party group meeting.
The Glasgow-based retailer explained that she carries with her the lasting trauma she suffers following break-ins at the store from 2016, and also talked about threatening behaviour and shoplifting.
Even whilst telling SLR about the meeting afterwards, Natalie received a message from staff about yet another shop theft. “See what we are up against!” she despaired.
Natalie called for government to:
- Establish a self-reporting scheme to share intelligence with other retailers and measure the scale of the problem;
- Investigate the possibility of introducing small grants to independent convenience stores to partially cover the cost of better security;
- Revise the guidance around the use of CCTV in order that cameras could be more effective in gathering evidence.
She said: “We need to keep pushing for real change because it’s all out of control. Folk are dying in our jobs just trying to earn a living.”
Dennis and Natalie’s words did not fall on deaf ears. Group convenor, SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands Gordon MacDonald, shared their experiences and suggestions at a parliamentary debate on Retail Crime and Antisocial Behaviour held on Thursday 19 September.
MacDonald’s was one of many voices calling for change.
Sharon Dowey, Conservative MSP for South Scotland, who raised the debate, also felt there was a need for improved reporting processes. “There must be a better means of reporting incidents by retailers so that problem areas could be quickly identified and targeted, and crimes prevented,” she said.
Dowey, who previously worked in retail for over 30 years, acknowledged the extent to which crime had worsened.
“Abuse and violence were often part of the job then, but were far less common than they are now,” she said. “Retailers paint a stark picture of the magnitude of the issues that they face and of the difficulties in tackling the problem without more support from the police or Government.”
She highlighted terrifying incidents recorded by SGF of shop workers being threatened with knives and needles, as well as the fact that shoplifting has become a daily occurrence. “When I lodged my motion, the increase in shoplifting was 21%, but the most recent figures show a rise of 34%. In the area that I represent, there was a 40% rise in East Ayrshire and a 22% rise in South Ayrshire.”
She described the consequences for criminals as “almost non-existent”.
“Not only do offenders get away with it, but they are almost encouraged to keep doing it because there are no repercussions,” she said.
Dowey claimed that Police Scotland needed more resources. “The aim should be to increase front-line officer numbers and retain those officers that we already have. Without more officers responding quickly to these crimes, thieves will never be caught and shops will be—as they are—discouraged from even reporting abusive or violent behaviour.”
Ben Macpherson, SNP MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, questioned whether retail crime needed to be prioritised more in dense urban areas.
He also pointed to the need to change offender behaviour. “Our approach should also involve other smart justice interventions such as youth work to help the minority of young people who engage in such behaviour.”
Daniel Johnson, Labour MSP for Edinburgh Southern, who was responsible for lodging the members bill that resulted in the Protection of Workers Act, said that more still needed to be done.
“Under that legislation there have been more than 10,000 reports, a 61% detection rate and 1,200 convictions, and more than 1,000 cases are proceeding through the courts. However, clearly, that is not enough, because we are seeing an escalation.”
He suggested rethinking the balance of officers within Police Scotland. “First, we need the police to be far more engaged with retailers, in order to consider solutions and more effective reporting. Above all else, because of the creation of Police Scotland, the balance of policing has gone away from response officers. Having more police officers is one thing, but specialised units have taken police officers, and we need to question whether the balance is correct.”
In response, Minister for Victims and Community Safety, Siobhian Brown, stated that Police Scotland had taken on more than 1,280 recruits since the start of 2023 and that more were planned.
Despite having listened to concerns about a lack of police engagement, she encouraged all retailers to report crimes. “Retail workers are already protected by a wide range of criminal laws, including the protection of workers legislation,” she said. “Although it is always shocking to hear that retail workers are being threatened and abused, they should feel confident in reporting such offences, as they are being taken seriously by the police.”
She declared that the police were not solely responsible for solving the problem. “There has to be a collaborative approach between local authorities, because it is not just up to the police,” she said.
Brown claimed to be “encouraged” by the approach that Police Scotland is taking to tackling shoplifting. “Central to that work is the innovative Scottish Partnership Against Acquisitive Crime Strategy, also known as SPAACE, which is led by Police Scotland. It works with retailers and other organisations, including Retailers Against Crime (RAC) and Neighbourhood Watch Scotland. Its focus is on prevention, deterrence and, where appropriate, enforcement.”
She added that a pilot self-reporting project Police Scotland had initiated in Fife in collaboration with RAC held great promise. “Police Scotland, together with partners and information technology providers, have helped to develop a platform allowing staff in stores to send details of crime directly to Police Scotland, so that offences can be investigated,” she said.
She stated that following a soft launch earlier this year, the ‘go live’ in September 2024 saw more retailers join the platform.
Brown said: “Lead officers hope to see further arrests being made as part of the pilot, and I would join them in encouraging as many retailers as possible in Fife to get involved. I really hope that the scheme will be rolled out throughout Scotland.”
RAC National Operations Manager Stephanie Karté told SLR that the pilot could play a crucial role in painting a more accurate picture of the gargantuan problem shoplifting has become. “Police Scotland need to know the true cost of crime and the true retail crime figures because at this moment in time, not all crimes are reported. The BRC figures of [the cost of customer theft being] £1.8bn are probably a drop in the ocean compared to what shop theft is actually committed on an annual basis, it’s really concerning.
“Shop theft is becoming an epidemic and we can’t keep sweeping it under the carpet by referring to it as a petty crime. We need to change the way it is perceived, and it can’t continue to be ignored. It has been increasing year-on-year, including violence against staff, which is not acceptable. This will continue until action is taken by the government and the judicial system, because right now there are little or no consequences.”
