Responding to the publication of the latest Recorded Crime in
Scotland statistics which show a 17% rise in shop thefts
over the past year, to over 47,000 incidents, David Lonsdale,
Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said:
“It's appalling that thieving from shops has soared by almost a
fifth over the past year. Despite record spending by retailers on
crime prevention the rate of thefts continues to rise.
“Thieving from stores isn't a victimless crime, indeed it's a key
factor behind rising levels of abuse and threats towards shop
workers and we know from member feedback that thieves are
becoming bolder and more aggressive. The financial cost pushes up
prices for shoppers and undermines the health and vitality of our
high streets.
“More needs to be done to reduce thieving from stores. We applaud
Scottish Ministers and Police Scotland for the creation of the
Retail Crime Taskforce, backed by dedicated one-year funding of
£3 million. This greater prioritisation, funding, and focus on
persistent offenders and organised criminal gangs which target
retailers has been received well by the industry and early
results are encouraging. This should make for a more difficult
environment for shop thieves. However, the funding and taskforce
should be sustained and enhanced if we are to truly turn the tide
on thieving and crime against retailers.”
