SGF blasts Scottish Government for lack of support
STORE bosses and industry leaders have been calling for urgent action over retail crime.
The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) Crime report 2023 has revealed that there have been almost 9,000 incidents of robbery in c-stores between 2022 and 2023 across the UK.
Causing thousands of pounds in damage and untold stress and duress to retailers across the country, the Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) has called for action from the Scottish Government to put in an emergency plan to tackle this surge in criminal activity.
This follows on from reports of severe robberies across Scotland, including a USave store in Port Glasgow that was held up by a man with a machete, who destroyed the store’s touch screen till before robbing hundreds of pounds worth of cigarettes from the store.
Speaking at the SGF’s annual conference, Pete Cheema, chief executive at the SGF, said: “Enough is enough. It is time for ministers to stop sitting on their hands and put together a meaningful plan of action to tackle the tsunami of retail crime happening the length and breadth of Scotland.
“It is not only shop windows that are being shattered but people’s lives, their livelihoods, their health and their mental wellbeing.
“The level of retail crime that is now being experienced by the convenience sector is utterly shocking, and there is virtually no support from our justice system.
“The SGF encourages all of our members to report every crime, but that is meaningless if the police don’t respond and don’t have the resources to hunt down perpetrators and convict them when they do.
“People should not have to go to work knowing they will likely have to put up with threats, abuse and potentially violence.
“Recent reports from our members highlight that it isn’t just a bottle of wine or two that is going missing, whole shelves and kiosk counters are being emptied at knife point.
“If there isn’t action now, the situation will only get worse.”
