Shoplifting increases by 25 per cent in Scotland, clear up rates decrease

Shoplifting crimes recorded by the police in Scotland has been increased by 25 per cent in 2022-23, official data showed Tuesday.

Shoplifting accounted for over a quarter (28%) of ‘crimes of dishonesty’ crime group.

According to the document, Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2022-23, there was an increasing trend for shoplifting since 2014-15, which was interrupted by a decrease in 2019-20 and a further larger decrease in 2020-21, likely due to the Covid-19 pandemic related restrictions.

After a small increase in 2021-22, last year shoplifting has seen a further increase of 25 per cent, from 22,913 crimes in 2021-22 to 28,619 in 2022-23.

This is only 15 per cent lower than the high in 2018-19. Over the ten-year period from 2013-14 to 2022-23, this crime has seen an increase of three per cent, the document noted.

At the same time, the clear up rates for the crimes of dishonesty decreased from 31.6 per cent in 2021-22 to 31 per cent in 2022-23, with all categories but one (theft by opening lockfast places) in the group witnessing a drop in clear up rates.

Overall, the clear up rate was 53.3 per cent, down from 54 per cent in 2021-22.

In May, the Crime Survey for England and Wales has returned similar figures for shoplifting, with a 23 per cent rise in the year ending December 2022.

Shoplifting is increasingly becoming a trigger for violence, with trade union Usdaw’s latest annual survey of over 7,500 shop workers finding that 31 per cent of incidents of violence, threats and abuse has been related to shoplifting in 2022, which is not only higher than in 2019 but also more than double the 2016 level.

SGF’s Crime Report 2022 has highlighted the substantial impact of crime on store owners and staff across Scotland, with 100 per cent of respondents reporting some level of theft, abuse, or violence in the previous year. Almost all operators experienced theft on a daily basis, while 95 per cent of retailers also reported experiencing some form of hate crime monthly.