Scots shops to keep booze locked up in bid to beat £150m shoplifting crisis

SCOTS retailers are keeping high-end booze and goods under lock and key in a bid to beat a £150million shoplifting crisis.

Shops have introduced the dramatic new measures with some even fitting emergency buzzers in booze aisles to let staff know when a customer wants a high-value item like spirits or champagne.

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Retailers claim the theft-epidemic is made worse by the fact cash-strapped Police Scotland ‘don’t have the resources to respond effectively’.

Some stores have other pricey items such as steaks locked up in glass boxes only accessible by staff after it was revealed theft is costing the retail industry £150million every year. 

Ewan MacDonald-Russell, deputy dead of the Scottish Retail Consortium, told the Mail on Sunday: “The scale and extent of retail crime is now so severe it is completely changing the shopping experience for customers.

“Sadly, shoppers are being inconvenienced by further measures to protect staff and products – including security gates, cabinets, boxed items, protective screens, guards and security tags – in many retail locations in response to the spree of shoplifting.

“With theft rates soaring each year it’s hard to say when, or even if, shopping will return to normal.”

The Scottish Grocers’ Federation says the ‘tsunami’ of shoplifting, is so bad that 77 per cent of shops don’t bother reporting thefts because they don’t think there will be any follow up.

Mr MacDonald-Russell added: “Scottish retailers lost over £150 million last year with over a million incidents.

“That loss is felt by consumers through higher prices and a worse shopping experience as retailers are forced to use security measures to protect stock and reduce shrinkage due to crime.

“The harsh truth is time and again retailers report crimes but police don’t have the resources to respond swiftly and effectively.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “While we have seen an increase in reports of thefts by shoplifting, there has also been an increase in detection of this type of crime.

“We work closely with the retail and business sectors to deter, prevent and investigate retail crime.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson told the Mail: “We would encourage retailers to report all crimes to Police Scotland.”