Police Scotland partner with Crimestoppers to protect retail workers from organised theft in Scotland
By Jessi Aitken
Crimestoppers partner with Police Scotland (Image: Unsplash)
A new campaign to protect retail workers from the targeted violence and rising retail crime has been launched with Police Scotland Retail Crime Taskforce and Crimestoppers charity.
Scotland’s retail industry has seen continual increases in theft and organised criminals targeting shops, between April 2024 to October 2025, it is estimated around £3.6-£5 million worth of product were stolen. Police Scotland believe that organised crime groups have made around a third of that percentage.
Despite the obvious financial cost of retail crime there is a huge impact on the workers who have been left ‘anxious’ and ‘afraid’ in work when the Crimestoppers charity asked, and many who have reported being afraid to return to work.
Retail Crime Taskforce work with Crimestoppers (Image: Getty Images)
In 2025/2026, Police Scotland are giving £3 million to fund the Retail Crime Taskforce. The Taskforce will work with retailers and stakeholders to prevent retail crime and attempt to prevent people becoming involved in organised crime and theft. The Taskforce will also attempt to support people who are in deprived areas and are likely to get roped into theft and organized crime and increasing education. The Taskforce will also attempt to enhance the process of reporting retail crime and encourage more people to report any occurrences to the Crimestoppers. More than 2000 retail offenses have been reported since April by the Taskforce.
Stephanie Karte, CEO for Retailers Against Crime, said: “Retail crime is not a victimless offence and partnership working is key to tackling the growing threat faced by retailers and their staff.
“At Retailers Against Crime, we are seeing a sharp rise in incidents across our member network, with offenders becoming increasingly bold and organised. By working together in partnership, we can address this problem more effectively.”