You don’t need to be an expert on crime to understand that there is a link between poverty, inequality and an increase in theft. Now official figures confirm what many shopkeepers have suspected for months.
Recorded instances of shoplifting in Scotland have risen 18 per cent in the 12 months ending in June 2022. Just under 25,000 incidents were recorded by police – an average of 68 per day.
The real number is likely to be far higher. Many store managers will simply let thieves go with a telling-off. They understand that desperate people will resort to desperate measures.
