Edinburgh MP calls for more protection for retail workers as shoplifting soars
Edinburgh MP Tracy Gilbert has called for stronger protection for retail workers as shoplifting soars.
Ms Gilbert, who is Labour MP for Edinburgh North & Leith and was previously Scottish secretary for the shopworkers’ union Usdaw, said Scotland had seen a drastic 129 per cent rise in shoplifting since 2021, with 48,564 recorded incidents in the year ending September 2025, according to Police Scotland figures. Yet only 2,854 people were convicted in 2023/24, showing a growing gap between crime and accountability.
She said: "These figures are deeply concerning. Retail workers are on the frontline, facing increasing risk from shoplifting and associated crime, yet our laws and policing are not keeping pace. Workers and communities deserve better protection.
"This is not just about crime statistics, it’s about real people, and real communities. Adequate resources are required to ensure effective policing, and support for retail staff is urgently needed to tackle this growing problem."
Her call came as the Scottish Grocers Federation (SGF) held a crime seminar in Edinburgh and warned retail crime was spiralling out of control.
It also published a new report showing 99.6 per cent of convenience store retailers said shoplifting was now a daily occurrence; 78.3 per cent reported an increase in violence towards shop workers; and 77.8 per cent said they now have at least one member of staff who has experienced mental health or wellbeing issues as a direct result of retail crime.
SGF chief executive Dr Pete Cheema said: “For thousands of shop workers across Scotland, going to work now means putting their personal safety on the line. Assaults, stabbings, spitting, threats, and relentless abuse have become an all-too-common part of daily life on the shop floor.
“Retail crime is spiralling out of control. Every indicator is moving in the wrong direction, and the damage to workers, businesses and local communities is profound and accelerating. This is a public safety emergency hiding in plain sight.
“Retailers urgently need support. The police and courts are overwhelmed, and many crimes go unreported because retailers lack confidence that action will be taken. Offenders know they are unlikely to face consequences, and even when arrests are made, cases can take years to reach conviction.”
Chief Superintendent David Robertson, Police Scotland divisional police commander for Edinburgh, told councillors on Wednesday that shoplifting in the Capital had risen in line with national trends and said it was a priority for the police.
But he said a Retail Crime Taskforce had been set up and a pilot scheme in the north-east of the city had seen detection rates almost double from 22.4 per cent to 41.4 per cent. And he said the introduction of a Shop Watch radio scheme had created safer environments for staff, particularly lone workers.
In 2021, a new law, proposed by Edinburgh Southern Labour MSP Daniel Johnson, was passed by the Scottish Parliament, making it a specific criminal offence to assault, threaten, abuse, or obstruct retail workers,
Ms Gilbert, who worked on the Bill before her election to Westminster, said it provided a vital framework for safeguarding retail staff, ensuring they can carry out their roles safely and without fear.
She said: "We must act now to ensure that Scotland’s workers and communities are protected. I will continue to advocate for better policing and laws that safeguard those on the frontline by working with trade unions and employers to ensure retail crimes are reported and prosecuted.”