The news that instances of shop theft in Scotland rose by 17% over the past year has been met with an urgent plea from the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC).
Responding to the publication of the latest Recorded Crime in Scotland statistics, David Lonsdale (left), director of the SRC, said he hoped both ministers and the police would see great progress from their newly formed taskforce in the war against retail crime, but added that support for the scheme must remain consistent.
The new data records over 47,000 incidents of shop theft in the year - a rise of almost a fifth. Lonsdale 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.
“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 £3m. 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.
“The funding and taskforce should be sustained and enhanced if we’re to truly turn the tide on thieving and crime against retailers.”
Lonsdale went on to highlight how the concept of shop crime somehow being harmless is untrue. “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,” he said.
“The financial cost pushes up prices for shoppers and undermines the health and vitality of our high streets.”
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