The Scottish parliament has held a meeting on the impact of shoplifting on retailers in Scotland, calling on the government to provide Police Scotland with more resources. Police Scotland were also accused of losing “balance of policing” while the Scottish government was called out for systematically weakening the justice system” by some MSPs.

MSP Sharon Dowey, of the Scottish Conservative government, spoke on the changes needed within the police force, stating that there is a “need to do more to retain the police officers we already have”, and adding that the Scottish government “must face the reality that allowing police officer numbers to [reach] the lowest numbers in a decade opens a world of consequences”.

She continued: “Before I became an MSP, I worked in retail for 30 years. Abuse and violence was part of the job then, but it was much less common than it is now.

“The financial costs are also enormous. The Scottish Retail Consortium [SRC] pointed out that thieves are becoming more brazen and aggressive, and it’s not just affecting convenience stores… [it’s] being felt across all retail destinations.”

She added that shoplifting’s “detrimental impact” is happening across Scotland despite stores taking “real action” to prevent it.

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“They’re spending fortunes on CCTV, body-worn cameras and other attempts to protect workers. But it’s not making much of a difference, there are no repercussions.

“What needs to happen to change this and give retail workers the protection they deserve? Police Scotland needs more resources, and the aim should be to increase frontline officer numbers and retain the ones we already have. Without police responding more quickly to these crimes, the offenders will never be caught.

“Seventy per cent of crimes are caused by 10 per cent of offenders. There needs to be more investigation into the crimes and consequences for those committing the crimes. We need to keep officers safe by issuing body-worn cameras too, we’ve already heard this is a gamechanger and could retain the numbers we already have.”

MSP Pam Gosal added that “police numbers are at their lowest in 17 years”, and the root causes of shoplifting are “the SNP’s soft touch and approach to justice, and the lack of suitable resources”.

MSP Russell Findlay echoed criticism of the government, adding: “Suffice to say retail crime is out of control in Scotland – this government has systematically weakened the justice system.”

Meanwhile, MSP Daniel Johnson said the rise in violence is “unacceptable”, and “police must be far more engaged with retailers”.

“The balance of policing has gone away from response officers due to the creation of Police Scotland,” he added.

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Defence of Police Scotland

However, Siobhian Brown, victims and community safety minister, said the issue was not just with the police, but the responsibility of retailers heeding the advice of the police, the council, and general social behaviour.

She said: “There is an issue with collaborative working in local authorities with the police. It’s not just up to the police, it also includes the council and social behaviour. I ask that retailers take Police Scotland’s advice in this area. Ensuring premises are not an easy target for shoplifters is also important.

“Police Scotland has welcomed more than 690 new officers since March [2023] and more than 1280 new recruits since beginning of 2023. Further intakes are planned throughout this year, with Police Scotland to take on more recruits this year than any time since 2013. I am encouraged by the approach Police Scotland are taking to shoplifting.”

MSP Daniel Johnson and MSP Ben Macpherson called for an additional government debate on shoplifting and retail crime as a follow-up.

Macpherson said: “If big supermarkets are struggling, imagine what it’s like if you’re just one or two people [in a business] trying to deal with it,” he said. “While there is a question of resource and allocation of resource, it’s also about other interventions and smart justice, whether its utilisation of youth work, or [considering] how we support those with problems of addiction or safe consumption rooms. We need to work across government on the difficulty of this issue.”

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MUP rise and tobacco and vape restrictions

Further challenges for retailers were also discussed including the Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) rise and tobacco and vape restrictions, with “retailers concerned about lack of public awareness through Scottish government communications” on enforcement of these.

Macpherson continued: “Consideration needs to be given to the pressures that the government is imposing on workers and businesses. For instance, SRC has cited challenges with the MUP rising in September, upcoming restrictions on tobacco and vapes, the proposed new location of alcohol in-store and the disposable cup levy. If these proposals are to go ahead, they must be communicated clearly to the public at large, with the rules explained. So far, the Scottish government has not acted decisively on [shoplifting].”

MSP Richard Leonard added that shopworkers are in need of further protection when “this parliament passes legislation on alcohol MUP, on vapes and tobacco, on the shelving and display of alcohol, [and] on fireworks”.

“The enforcement of those laws that we pass invariably falls to those low-paid shopworkers out on the frontline, which is why they need protection. But like any piece of protective legislation, it needs to be enforced. It demands police treat these incidents not as occupational hazards, but as crimes.”

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