We need effective deterrents in place to tackle the growing scourge of shoplifting
Sharp rise in cases adds to impression Scotland’s criminal justice system is struggling to cope in run-up to election
New figures that reveal the scale of the shoplifting problem that blights Scotland’s retail sector are shocking in themselves. Statistics released by Police Scotland show there was a 129 per cent increase in the number of such crimes recorded between 2021 and 2025.
What is perhaps even more shocking is the possibility that this sharp rise - from 21,175 to 48,564 over the course of just four years - will not come as a surprise to many people within the retail sector. Anecdotally, there is a sense on high streets that the problem has been allowed to become more acute in recent years.
Today’s figures follow developments last week that suggest Scotland’s criminal justice system is under increasing strain.
A report by the Scottish Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission recommended a “presumption” against sentences of less than two years, rather than the current 12 months. This will inevitably lead to fewer shoplifters serving prison time.
Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Angela Constance announced a consultation on plans to bring down the release point for some sentences from 40 to 30 per cent, as part of the Scottish government’s continuing attempts to reduce prison overcrowding.
And government statistics show police numbers continue to fall, with a report last week revealing full time equivalent officers fell by 91 last year.
It should go without saying that we ought to have effective deterrents in place in order to bring down crime.
And it should not be controversial to suggest that prison should be a realistic prospect for those criminals who are responsible for the surge in shoplifting over recent years.
If our prisons are overcrowded we should create more space rather than simply release criminals early or fail to jail them at all.
Building more prisons and housing more criminals in them, and for longer sentences, might be an effective way of bringing down crime that would resonate with voters in the run-up to May’s Holyrood election.
The SNP is looking increasingly vulnerable on this front.
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