All three major retailer associations are calling on the Scottish Government to offer support for retailers following the recent figures showing that shoplifting has reached an all-time high.
The Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF), the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) and the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) have each demanded that the Scottish Government, Police Scotland and the judicial courts to take retail crime seriously.
Recorded crime figures released this week by the Scottish Government revealed that shoplifting increased by 17% compared to the previous year (from 40,554 to 47,381 crimes) and increased by 124% from the year ending June 2021 (from 21,136 to 47,381 crimes).
However, the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) maintains that the actual numbers are much higher, as many incidents go unreported due to the level of response from the police and failure by the courts to take tougher action against offenders.
The trio are calling on politicians, police and the courts to take retail crime seriously and ensure independent retailers receive the protection they urgently need.
Hetal Patel. national president of the Fed, said: “These figures are shocking but sadly not surprising to our members, who see stock vanish from their shelves on a daily basis. Shop theft is not a victimless crime, it pushes up prices for honest customers, undermines small businesses, and places staff in danger. A 124 per cent rise over just four years threatens the very survival of many independent shops, and it’s no wonder so many are closing.
“We urge all political parties aiming for power after the Scottish elections in May to consider expanding and continuing the promising one-year Police Scotland scheme to combat retail crime.”
Luke McGarty, SGF head of policy & public affairs said: “Across every metric, retail crime, including organised crime is on the rise. The impact on staff, businesses and communities can be overwhelming and many cannot afford to wait for support any longer. Shop staff who provide an essential local service are facing abuse and violence every day, and businesses are forking out thousands of pounds for extra security and in lost goods. That is completely unacceptable.”
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.”
The action comes on the fourth anniversary of the groundbreaking Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act 2021. It provides a specific offence for assaulting, threatening or abusing any retail worker and a harsher sentence if they were enforcing a statutory age restriction, resulting in a fine with penalties escalating to a prison sentence.
The legislation was a direct result of a campaign by the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) called ‘Freedom from Fear’, where it worked with Scottish politicians, employers and other organisations.
Usdaw’s survey of 1,011 Scottish retail staff found that in the last twelve months (national average):
• 70% have experienced verbal abuse (77%).
• 45% were threatened by a customer (53%).
• 8% were assaulted (10%).
