Usdaw urges Scottish Government to address rising retail crime

The retail trade union Usdaw is calling on the Scottish Government to increase investment in policing and prioritize the fight against retail crime, which it describes as being at ‘epidemic’ levels.

On the fifth anniversary of the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act 2021, data shows that shoplifting in Scotland has risen significantly. Police-recorded incidents increased from 20,557 during the pandemic to 53,269 in the 2025/26 period, representing a 159% increase over that timeframe and a 19% rise from the previous year.

While the legislation created specific offences for assaulting or threatening retail workers and introduced tougher penalties for incidents involving age-restricted goods, the clear-up rate for shoplifting has declined. The rate of solved shoplifting crimes fell from 74.6% in 2014/15 to 50.6% in 2025/26. Since the Act was implemented, there have been over 11,000 recorded incidents of common assault against retail staff.