Shop theft hits highest levels for over half a century

Official Scottish Government statistics published show that shoplifting in Scotland has risen for the fifth consecutive year and is now at its highest level since 1971.

Recorded shoplifting offences increased by 19%, from 44,730 in 2024-25 to 53,369 in 2025-26. However, the Scottish Grocers' Federation (SGF) believes the true scale of the problem is even greater, with a significant amount of retail crime continuing to go unreported.

Over the past decade, recorded shoplifting has increased by 86%, rising from 28,650 offences in 2016-17 to 53,369 in 2025-26.

SGF's latest Crime Report estimates that shop theft is costing convenience retailers an average of £10,431 per store each year, while 99.6% of retailers now report that shoplifting is a daily occurrence.

• You can read our press release on this here: Shop theft hits highest levels for over half a century - SGF | Scottish Grocers' Federation (SGF)

• You can read the full document ‘Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2025-26’ here: Supporting documents - Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2025-26 - gov.scot