Recorded crime rates rise for another year in Scotland
POLICE Scotland has confirmed recorded rates of retail crime in Scotland have continued to rise in the latest Recorded Crime in Scotland report.
According to the report, shoplifting rates in 2025-26 rose by 19% when compared to 2024-25, rising up from 44,730 reports to 53,369 incidents. Additionally, common assaults of a retail worker increased by 10% during the time period, up from 2,870 to 3,162.
Commenting on the figures, Ewan MacDonald-Russell, deputy head of the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC), said: “The spiraling increase of violence and shop theft is causing misery for Scottish shopkeepers and customers.
“More than eight times a day Scottish shopworkers are being assaulted, with at least one of those attacks causing injury.
“Despite hundreds of millions of pounds on investment in security from retailers, this unacceptable behaviour continues and must be tackled.”
The SRC noted that its members reported that a rise in these incidents has come from bolder and more aggressive action from thieves in the last year.
Additionally, the industry body estimated that the cost of shop theft reached £50million in Scotland last year, highlighting the massive burden on store owners across the country and how this impact is having a trickle down effect to consumers as prices must be increased to contend with this impact to retailers’ finances.
MacDonald-Russell said: “These figures highlight the scale of criminality affecting Scotland’s shops. However, it’s worth noting some of the increase is a consequence of the increased police response following the creation of the Retail Crime Taskforce.
“Retailers are starting to increase reporting in the hope Police Scotland will be able to respond more effectively than in the past. So while this rise may not mark an increase in crime rather just in the reporting of the crime, that doesn’t obviate the need for more action.
“However, even these elevated figures are unlikely to capture the full picture of retail crime. Our most recent crime report found there were 590,000 incidents of assault and 5,541,000 incidents of theft from stores across the UK last year.
“That reaffirms the need for the Retail Crime Taskforce funding be sustained and enhanced and for the courts to play their part if we are to truly turn the tide on thieving and crime against retailers.”
Pete Cheema, chief executive at the Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF), added to this and referred the the SGF’s annual Crime Report which found that retail crime costs convenience stores £10,431 on average per store, per year.
Cheema said: “SGF fought hard to secure the funding for the Scottish Retail Crime Taskforce, and we welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to replicate that funding for at least the next three years.
“There is no doubt the Taskforce has made good progress, and new initiatives have helped improve reporting and communication with local retailers as well. But the reality for many local shops is that they are being devastated by a tsunami of crime hitting Scottish communities.
“It is not only a few items going missing each day, organised groups are also carrying out violent raids behind the counter and repeat offenders are clearing whole shelves in the belief that there’ll be no consequences for their actions.
“That is why the police Taskforce must be just the first step, and we also need to see meaningful changes to the Scottish justice system. Clearing the backlog in the courts and ensuring that criminals are swiftly brought to justice.”
