Government ‘failing to clamp down on shoplifting’, says Scottish Labour

Labour has accused the Scottish Government of “failing to clamp down on shoplifting”, as figures showed the number of incidents has more than doubled since 2021.

The statistics, published by Police Scotland, indicate that in the year ending September 2025 there were 48,564 recorded crimes of shoplifting.

This is an increase of 129% on the year ending September 2021, when the figure was 21,175.

It is also “well above” the year before, which saw 42,271 crimes recorded.

The party noted that despite this “surge” in incidents just 2,854 people were convicted of the crime in 2023/24.

It also pointed to the fall in the number of police, with figures showing that as at December 31 the force had 1,080 fewer officers than when it was established in 2013.

Party leader Anas Sarwar said if he were elected first minister he would tackle the problem by strengthening the relationship between police and communities, and getting more officers on to the front line.

“This SNP Government has badly let down communities and retailers across the country by failing to clamp down on shoplifting, with the problem only getting worse each year,” he said.

“If elected as first minister, I will restore local policing, ensuring that every council area has a named officer tasked with building relationships in the community and gathering intelligence on crime within local areas.

“I would also restore the specific role of crime prevention officers, who will work directly with schools, retailers and community groups, to advise on how to avoid or reduce incidents in high crime areas.

“And I pledge to get police back on the front line, freeing up 360 officers, by reducing the thousands of hours being wasted in A&E departments and in our courts.

“In just three months’ time, the people of Scotland will have a choice – chaos on our streets with John Swinney, or security and justice with me and Scottish Labour.”

A spokesperson for Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “This is desperate stuff from the struggling Labour Party, mired as they are in police investigations and resignations.

“Last year, they failed to vote to fund the dedicated Retail Crime Taskforce that, as of last month, had seen 3,671 shoplifting charges and detections.

“Now, in this Thursday’s Budget vote, they will again point-blank refuse to fund the police to tackle shoplifting.

“This level of hypocrisy from Labour is simply jaw-dropping, even from a party that everyone knows says one thing and does another.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We recognise the impact these crimes have on local communities and businesses, and we remain committed to tackling this issue.

“Our retail crime taskforce, established in 2025, works alongside local policing officers to target retail offences.

“We also regularly engage with local businesses, offer security advice, and work together with a range of partner agencies to identify any crime prevention opportunities.

“We will keep working with our partners agencies and businesses to deter and investigate retail crime.”