Police Scotland launch dedicated team to tackle the root of retail crime

Police Scotland has launched a dedicated unit to tackle retail crime following £3m funding from the Scottish Government.

The Retail Crime Taskforce consists of 14 uniformed officers and detectives, along with four civilian staff, including specialist analysts and an Architectural Liaison Officer.

The team will work alongside a range of key stakeholders to deliver a four-strand approach to combatting retail crime – prevent, pursue, protect and prepare.

The uniformed officers will operate within Edinburgh, Glasgow and Lanarkshire, as crime figures show these areas experience the highest levels of retail crime, said Police Scotland.

Other divisions requiring support with delivering prevention activities can request the resources from the unit, it added.

On a daily basis the team will use analytical data and intelligence to target repeat offenders.

The Architectural Liaison Officer would engage with retail premises to identify ways to enhance security and crime prevention measures to reduce incidents, said Police Scotland.

The funding will also be used to develop diversionary programmes aimed at reducing re-offending and youth offending, focusing on enforcement in relation to repeat offenders and organised crime.

Launching the unit, Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs commented: “We know that enforcement alone cannot successfully reduce retail crime and so the partnership approach to safeguarding stores and exploring opportunities to work collaboratively to address the root causes of such offences will play a significant role in the work of the Taskforce.”