Shop workers in Scotland are facing escalating violence, including attacks with harpoon guns and machetes, as reported shoplifting incidents have risen 129% in four years, from 24,877 in 2021-2022 to 56,920 in 2025-2026, according to Scottish government figures.
Retailers have warned of criminal gangs clearing whole shelves of products using sacks, backpacks and wheelie bins, with a focus on high-value items that can be resold, such as energy drinks and baby powder.
Kate McCrae, retail operations director at Co-op, told BBC Scotland's Scotcast that targeted shoplifting, often with the threat of violence, is becoming more prolific. "It's not like 'I'm in this aisle by chance, I'm going to take all these biscuits'. It's like, 'I'm in for energy drinks or I'm here to get detergent'. It's stealing to order," she said. McCrae added that many shoplifters were armed: "We've seen weapons - guns, machetes, knives. There have also been some extremes where we've had a harpoon gun, for example."
She described the fear staff experience: "You're busy doing your work, dealing with the customers, dealing with the community, and then from nowhere someone jumps over the counter. That's terrifying. The staff are trapped in a space and somebody is threatening them… threatening their life." One Co-op staff member was hospitalised after being hit in the face with a fire extinguisher during a theft, she said.
Amjid Bashir, owner of the Newsbox convenience store on Queen Street in Glasgow, says his staff have been abused and attacked by gangs of children as young as nine. "We get mobs of schoolchildren coming in and storming the shop," he said. "They'll come in mob-handed, maybe 10, 15, sometimes 20 of them, and masked up."
Stephanie Karté, chief executive of Stirling-based Retailers Against Crime, said verbal and physical abuse was now a constant threat for shopworkers. “Retail crime is no longer solely a business issue,” she said. “While the financial losses are significant, the human cost is equally important. The emotional and psychological effects on retail workers can be long-lasting. Nobody should go to work fearing they may be threatened, assaulted or intimidated simply for doing their job.”
The Co-op has resorted to measures such as putting wine in locked cabinets and using GPS-tagging on steaks. It says those measures, along with working more closely with police, have helped cut retail crime in its stores by 20%.
Inspector Emma Wright, from Police Scotland's Retail Crime Taskforce, described the trend as “shoplifting on a much more organised scale. Groups who sometimes exploit vulnerable people, young people, to steal for them and then sell on those goods at profit.” She believes the rise in recorded incidents partly reflects increased reporting by retailers. She said retailers had more confidence to report to police, were pleased with the response and that police had made it easier to report offences.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Shop workers face escalating physical threats, including weapons, in their daily jobs
- The shift to organised, targeted theft suggests criminal networks exploiting vulnerable people
- Retailers are being forced to adopt security measures that affect customer experience
Background
Reported shoplifting in Scotland has risen sharply over four years, from 24,877 incidents in 2021-2022 to 56,920 in 2025-2026, a 129% increase. Retailers and police attribute the rise partly to organised gangs that steal high-value goods to order and resell them. The Co-op has introduced measures such as locked cabinets and GPS-tracking on products to combat theft.
Key Perspectives
Co-op retail operations director Kate McCrae: says targeted shoplifting with weapons, including harpoon guns and machetes, is becoming more prolific, and staff are terrified when thieves jump over counters.
Newsbox owner Amjid Bashir: says his staff have been abused and attacked by gangs of schoolchildren as young as nine, arriving in groups of up to 20.
Retailers Against Crime chief executive Stephanie Karté: says retail crime has moved beyond a business issue to a human one, with lasting emotional and psychological effects on workers.
Police Scotland Insp Emma Wright: says shoplifting is now on a much more organised scale, with groups exploiting vulnerable people and young people to steal and resell goods.
What to Watch
- Whether the Scottish government introduces new measures or funding to address retail crime
- The impact of Co-op's security measures (locked cabinets, GPS tags) on theft rates nationally
- Any shift in police reporting or prosecution rates as retailers gain confidence to report incidents
Checked
11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedShop workers in Scotland face rising violence, including attacks involving harpoon guns and machetes.BBC Scotland: “Shop workers say they are facing rising levels of violence, including attacks with harpoon guns and machetes”
- SupportedReported shoplifting incidents rose 129% in four years, from 24,877 in 2021-2022 to 56,920 in 2025-2026.BBC Scotland: “Reported shoplifting incidents have risen from 24,877 in 2021-2022 to 56,920 in 2025-2026. It represents a 129% increase in four years, according to Scottish government figures.”
- SupportedRetailers say gangs are stealing to order, targeting high-value goods for resale such as energy drinks and baby powder.BBC Scotland: “They say the gangs are "stealing to order", targeting high-value products that can be resold - such as energy drinks and baby powder.”
- SupportedKate McCrae told BBC Scotland's Scotcast that targeted shoplifting, often involving the threat of violence, is becoming more prolific.BBC Scotland: “Kate McCrae, retail operations director at Co-op, told BBC Scotland's Scotcast that targeted shoplifting - often with the threat of violence - is becoming more and more prolific.”
- SupportedMcCrae said, “It's stealing to order.”BBC Scotland: “"It's not like 'I'm in this aisle by chance, I'm going to take all these biscuits'. It's like, 'I'm in for energy drinks or I'm here to get detergent'. It's stealing to order," she said.”
- SupportedMcCrae said shoplifters had been armed with guns, machetes, knives and, in some cases, a harpoon gun.BBC Scotland: “"We've seen weapons - guns, machetes, knives," she said. "There have also been some extremes where we've had a harpoon gun, for example.”
- SupportedMcCrae said a Co-op staff member was hospitalised after being hit in the face with a fire extinguisher during a theft.BBC Scotland: “She said one Co-op staff member was hospitalised after being hit in the face with a fire extinguisher during a theft.”
- SupportedAmjid Bashir said his staff had been abused and attacked by gangs of children as young as nine.BBC Scotland: “He says his staff have been abused and attacked by gangs of children aged as young as nine.”
- SupportedThe Co-op says measures including locked wine cabinets, GPS-tagging steaks and closer work with police have helped cut retail crime in its stores by 20%.BBC Scotland: “It says those measures, and working more closely with the police, has helped cut retail crime in their stores by 20%.”
- SupportedInspector Emma Wright said groups sometimes exploit vulnerable people, including young people, to steal goods and sell them for profit.BBC Scotland: “"Groups who sometimes exploit vulnerable people, young people, to steal for them and then sell on those goods at profit."”
- SupportedWright believes increased reporting by retailers partly explains the rise in recorded shoplifting incidents.BBC Scotland: “Wright believes the rising number of shoplifting incidents recorded is partly because shop owners are now more likely to report them.”