Shoplifting accounted for 28% of ‘crime of dishonesty’, the largest crime group in Scotland between 2022-2023, according to government statistics.

Increase of 25%, from 22,913 reports of shoplifting in 2021-22 to 28,619 in 2022-23.

Over a ten-year period between 2013-2014 and 2022-2023, shoplifting rose by 3%.

Speaking to Better Retailing, Dennis Williams, of Broadway Premier, Oxgangs, Edinburgh, said: “The real figure is likely to be much higher as many have given up on speaking to the police, and that’s because the police turn up three or four days later, you don’t get the stock back even when they are caught and then you spend a day out the business in court. There’s still very little consequences. We’ve resorted to using a WhatsApp group to share details of offenders so we can prevent it ourselves.”

The news comes amid news that shoplifting hit its highest level in 20 years in England and Wales, as shop owners in five regions in the area reported a 50%-or-above rise in shoplifting last year, compared with the year before. Of the 56 police forces in the region, the statistics from Office of National Statistics showed that only one force saw shoplifting fall.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland commented:

A Police Scotland spokesperson told Better Retailing: “Scotland is a safe place to live and work, with historically low levels of crime. We work closely with partners in the retail and business sectors to deter, prevent and investigate shoplifting.

“Where we identify businesses which are being targeted by shoplifters, we have trained officers who can attend and carry out security surveys and offer advice around prevention.

“I would encourage businesses to invest in crime reduction measures to help reduce shoplifting.”

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