To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported significant increase in shoplifting recorded in Scotland. (S6O-03682)

The Scottish Government absolutely recognises the disruption and harm to businesses from theft and other antisocial behaviour. Police Scotland and partners are taking action to tackle and reduce it.

We continue to support the innovative Scottish partnership against acquisitive crime—SPAACE—strategy. The partnership is led by Police Scotland working with retailers and other organisations—including Retailers Against Crime and Neighbourhood Watch Scotland—and focuses on prevention, deterrence and, where appropriate, enforcement. The strategy seeks to minimise opportunities for acquisitive crime, to protect individuals and businesses and to deliver clear advice and guidance for prevention.

Furthermore, each local area has a local police plan, which has been refreshed for 2023 to 2026. Many of those plans include specific activities that focus on acquisitive crime and engagement with partners and stakeholders, which focuses on addressing retailers’ concerns at a local level.

Shoplifting crimes across Scotland saw a dramatic 34 per cent increase between June 2023 and June 2024, with a 40 per cent rise in East Ayrshire and a 22 per cent rise in South Ayrshire. Those figures are only for crimes that are recorded.

Retailers are facing attacks on their livelihoods. With officer numbers at their lowest since the Scottish National Party came into power, response times are said to be unsatisfactory or significantly delayed. It is clear that the current approach is simply not working, with a high percentage of retailers saying that they also face violence and abuse. What specific steps is the Scottish Government taking to support retailers and improve police response times to better protect our local communities?

The budget for police funding, even in these extremely challenging times, is £1.55 billion, which is an increase of £92.7 million. The chief constable has confirmed that Scottish Government investment will enable Police Scotland to recruit and increase police numbers.

Earlier this year, I met the retail industry leadership group and the Scottish Retail Consortium, which raised concerns about antisocial behaviour and an increase in theft. It may be interesting for the member to find out about an initiative that Police Scotland is piloting in Fife, where Police Scotland is coming together with partners and information technology providers to help to develop a platform that allows staff in stores to send details of crimes direct to Police Scotland. I hope that that initiative will be rolled out across Scotland.

I remind members of my entry in the register of members’ interests. I am a member of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, which is the shop workers union.

In 2016, USDAW’s freedom from fear survey found that 2 per cent of shop workers suffered violence. By 2023, that had risen to 18 per cent. Shoplifting is a key trigger for that. The minister mentioned information sharing; what steps can be taken to spread that across the country? Although we understand that the police cannot attend every incident, it is important to gather evidence so that those who repeatedly carry out such crimes are brought to book, prosecuted and punished for crimes that, ultimately, end up being violent, when shop workers suffer as a result.

As well as the SPAACE initiative with Police Scotland, it is important to recognise some of the good collaborative work that is happening across Scotland. I have visited several projects in Stirling and Inverclyde, where local authorities are coming together with Police Scotland, education providers and local businesses to tackle issues. It is important to reiterate the importance of local police plans.