The Scottish retail sector has welcomed ScotGov’s plans to provide £9m to extend funding to Police Scotland’s Retail Crime Taskforce and its associated activity, until March 2029, as revealed in the Scottish Spending Review 2026.
The Taskforce has already made strong progress since it was implemented last April, achieving 3,671 shoplifting charges and detections in its first year of operation.
A further 508 charges under the Protection of Workers (Scotland) Act 2021 for offences against retail workers have been made along with a total of 807 arrests.
Community Safety Minister Siobhian Brown said: “Shop workers deserve to feel safe, and retailers deserve to trade without fear of shoplifting. In less than a year, Police Scotland’s Retail Crime Taskforce has provided a visible and measurable impact on retail crime, working directly with retailers to prevent offending, pursue criminals, and protect shop workers.
“That is why the Scottish Government is providing a further £3 million in each of the next three years to continue this vital work – both preventing crime and ensuring offenders are held to account.
“This is in addition of a record £1.7 billion policing budget, enabling Police Scotland to deliver on frontline priorities and progress its transformation agenda.”
News of the extra funding has been well received by the retail sector, though the Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) is pushing ministers for further support.
SGF Chief Exec, Dr Pete Cheema OBE, said: “SGF called for Police Scotland to get targeted support from the Scottish Government to tackle retail crime, and that delivered the Retail Crime Taskforce.
“Now that the Taskforce is in place and doing great work, we want to see that scaled up and delivering lasting and meaningful change.
“Retail Crime costs Scottish businesses hundreds of millions of pounds every year, completely lost to the economy. Not to mention the devastating impact on staff wellbeing, their families, and every single community in Scotland.
“The commitment to £9 million over three years is an important and welcome milestone, but in reality, much more is needed to clamp down on offenders and reverse the trend. Police Scotland have shown that a small, dedicated team can make a big difference, so it’s up to Ministers to make the most of that opportunity and provide the resources they need.”
David Lonsdale, Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: “It’s worth noting Ministers have clearly listened to our representations and acted positively in straightened financial circumstances to continue the £3 million a year funding for the Retail Crime Taskforce. Retail crime remains a blight on communities across Scotland and this investment can help Police Scotland build on the positive start this year.”
