SGF Annual Retail Crime Survey 2024/25 (retailers)

General overview

Retail crime and shop theft continues to be a very serious issue for convenience stores and our members.

Over 14,000 cases of abuse and assaults, in a retail setting, have been reported to Police Scotland in just over three years. Meanwhile, figures show a significant spike in shoplifting and anti-social behaviour across the Scotland. Often carried out by organised groups, armed individuals or youngsters.

The information and data gathered in our report is crucial for shedding a light on the damaging impact of crime on our sector, and is widely used throughout the year to provide hard evidence to stakeholders, enforcement bodies and policy makers.

Question Title

* 1. In the past year, approximately how often have the following incidents occurred in your store?

	Daily	Weekly	Monthly	Annually	Never
Shoplifting	Shoplifting Daily	Shoplifting Weekly	Shoplifting Monthly	Shoplifting Annually	Shoplifting Never
Break-ins	Break-ins Daily	Break-ins Weekly	Break-ins Monthly	Break-ins Annually	Break-ins Never
Violence Against Staff	Violence Against Staff Daily	Violence Against Staff Weekly	Violence Against Staff Monthly	Violence Against Staff Annually	Violence Against Staff Never
Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm)	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Daily	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Weekly	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Monthly	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Annually	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Never
Store Vandalism	Store Vandalism Daily	Store Vandalism Weekly	Store Vandalism Monthly	Store Vandalism Annually	Store Vandalism Never
Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Daily	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Weekly	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Monthly	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Annually	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Never
Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Daily	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Weekly	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Monthly	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Annually	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Never
Employee Theft	Employee Theft Daily	Employee Theft Weekly	Employee Theft Monthly	Employee Theft Annually	Employee Theft Never
Hate Crime (hate crime is motivated by hatred of someone's race religion gender identity, sexual orientation or disability)	Hate Crime (hate crime is motivated by hatred of someone's race religion gender identity, sexual orientation or disability) Daily	Hate Crime (hate crime is motivated by hatred of someone's race religion gender identity, sexual orientation or disability) Weekly	Hate Crime (hate crime is motivated by hatred of someone's race religion gender identity, sexual orientation or disability) Monthly	Hate Crime (hate crime is motivated by hatred of someone's race religion gender identity, sexual orientation or disability) Annually	Hate Crime (hate crime is motivated by hatred of someone's race religion gender identity, sexual orientation or disability) Never

Additional Comments

Question Title

* 2. Is it your perception that the following incidents have become more or less frequent over the past year?

	Significantly More Frequent	Somewhat More Frequent	About the Same	Somewhat Less Frequent	Significantly Less Frequent
Shoplifting	Shoplifting Significantly More Frequent	Shoplifting Somewhat More Frequent	Shoplifting About the Same	Shoplifting Somewhat Less Frequent	Shoplifting Significantly Less Frequent
Break-ins	Break-ins Significantly More Frequent	Break-ins Somewhat More Frequent	Break-ins About the Same	Break-ins Somewhat Less Frequent	Break-ins Significantly Less Frequent
Violence Against Staff	Violence Against Staff Significantly More Frequent	Violence Against Staff Somewhat More Frequent	Violence Against Staff About the Same	Violence Against Staff Somewhat Less Frequent	Violence Against Staff Significantly Less Frequent
Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm)	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Significantly More Frequent	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Somewhat More Frequent	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) About the Same	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Somewhat Less Frequent	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Significantly Less Frequent
Store Vandalism	Store Vandalism Significantly More Frequent	Store Vandalism Somewhat More Frequent	Store Vandalism About the Same	Store Vandalism Somewhat Less Frequent	Store Vandalism Significantly Less Frequent
Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Significantly More Frequent	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Somewhat More Frequent	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused About the Same	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Somewhat Less Frequent	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Significantly Less Frequent
Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Significantly More Frequent	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Somewhat More Frequent	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age About the Same	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Somewhat Less Frequent	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Significantly Less Frequent
Employee Theft	Employee Theft Significantly More Frequent	Employee Theft Somewhat More Frequent	Employee Theft About the Same	Employee Theft Somewhat Less Frequent	Employee Theft Significantly Less Frequent
Hate Crime	Hate Crime Significantly More Frequent	Hate Crime Somewhat More Frequent	Hate Crime About the Same	Hate Crime Somewhat Less Frequent	Hate Crime Significantly Less Frequent

Additional Comments

Question Title

* 3. Have you, or any of your staff, experienced mental health & wellbeing issues as a result of the impact of retail crime?

Yes

Don't know

Question Title

* 4. In general, when the police attend your premises following a retail crime, how prompt do you find their response?

	Immediate	Satisfactory (within a reasonable time, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Unsatisfactory (slower than would be ideal, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Significantly delayed (to the degree that it undermines the effectiveness of reporting the crime)
Shoplifting	Shoplifting Immediate	Shoplifting Satisfactory (within a reasonable time, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Shoplifting Unsatisfactory (slower than would be ideal, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Shoplifting Significantly delayed (to the degree that it undermines the effectiveness of reporting the crime)
Break-ins	Break-ins Immediate	Break-ins Satisfactory (within a reasonable time, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Break-ins Unsatisfactory (slower than would be ideal, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Break-ins Significantly delayed (to the degree that it undermines the effectiveness of reporting the crime)
Violence Against Staff	Violence Against Staff Immediate	Violence Against Staff Satisfactory (within a reasonable time, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Violence Against Staff Unsatisfactory (slower than would be ideal, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Violence Against Staff Significantly delayed (to the degree that it undermines the effectiveness of reporting the crime)
Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm)	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Immediate	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Satisfactory (within a reasonable time, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Unsatisfactory (slower than would be ideal, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Significantly delayed (to the degree that it undermines the effectiveness of reporting the crime)
Store Vandalism	Store Vandalism Immediate	Store Vandalism Satisfactory (within a reasonable time, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Store Vandalism Unsatisfactory (slower than would be ideal, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Store Vandalism Significantly delayed (to the degree that it undermines the effectiveness of reporting the crime)
Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Immediate	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Satisfactory (within a reasonable time, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Unsatisfactory (slower than would be ideal, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Significantly delayed (to the degree that it undermines the effectiveness of reporting the crime)
Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Immediate	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Satisfactory (within a reasonable time, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Unsatisfactory (slower than would be ideal, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Significantly delayed (to the degree that it undermines the effectiveness of reporting the crime)
Employee Theft	Employee Theft Immediate	Employee Theft Satisfactory (within a reasonable time, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Employee Theft Unsatisfactory (slower than would be ideal, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Employee Theft Significantly delayed (to the degree that it undermines the effectiveness of reporting the crime)
Hate Crime	Hate Crime Immediate	Hate Crime Satisfactory (within a reasonable time, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Hate Crime Unsatisfactory (slower than would be ideal, considering the seriousness of the incident)	Hate Crime Significantly delayed (to the degree that it undermines the effectiveness of reporting the crime)

Additional Comments

Question Title

* 5. How likely are you to report each of the following incidents to the police? (please provide a reason for your answers, in 'additional comments', if the reporting rate is generally low)

	Very Likely	Likely	Unlikely	Very Unlikely
Shoplifting	Shoplifting Very Likely	Shoplifting Likely	Shoplifting Unlikely	Shoplifting Very Unlikely
Break-ins	Break-ins Very Likely	Break-ins Likely	Break-ins Unlikely	Break-ins Very Unlikely
Violence Against Staff	Violence Against Staff Very Likely	Violence Against Staff Likely	Violence Against Staff Unlikely	Violence Against Staff Very Unlikely
Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm)	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Very Likely	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Likely	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Unlikely	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Very Unlikely
Store Vandalism	Store Vandalism Very Likely	Store Vandalism Likely	Store Vandalism Unlikely	Store Vandalism Very Unlikely
Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Very Likely	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Likely	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Unlikely	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Very Unlikely
Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Very Likely	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Likely	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Unlikely	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Very Unlikely
Employee Theft	Employee Theft Very Likely	Employee Theft Likely	Employee Theft Unlikely	Employee Theft Very Unlikely
Hate Crime	Hate Crime Very Likely	Hate Crime Likely	Hate Crime Unlikely	Hate Crime Very Unlikely

Additional Comments

Question Title

* 6. How satisfied were you with the police keeping you up to date on the progress of your report?

	Very Helpful	Satisfactory	Unsatisfactory	Very Unhelpful
Shoplifting	Shoplifting Very Helpful	Shoplifting Satisfactory	Shoplifting Unsatisfactory	Shoplifting Very Unhelpful
Break-ins	Break-ins Very Helpful	Break-ins Satisfactory	Break-ins Unsatisfactory	Break-ins Very Unhelpful
Violence Against Staff	Violence Against Staff Very Helpful	Violence Against Staff Satisfactory	Violence Against Staff Unsatisfactory	Violence Against Staff Very Unhelpful
Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm)	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Very Helpful	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Satisfactory	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Unsatisfactory	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Very Unhelpful
Store Vandalism	Store Vandalism Very Helpful	Store Vandalism Satisfactory	Store Vandalism Unsatisfactory	Store Vandalism Very Unhelpful
Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Very Helpful	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Satisfactory	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Unsatisfactory	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Very Unhelpful
Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Very Helpful	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Satisfactory	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Unsatisfactory	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asking for proof of age Very Unhelpful
Employee Theft	Employee Theft Very Helpful	Employee Theft Satisfactory	Employee Theft Unsatisfactory	Employee Theft Very Unhelpful
Hate Crime	Hate Crime Very Helpful	Hate Crime Satisfactory	Hate Crime Unsatisfactory	Hate Crime Very Unhelpful

Additional Comments

Question Title

* 7. For the incidents you have reported to the police, have you been satisfied with the penalties imposed?

	Very Satisfied	Satisfied	Unsatisfied	Penalty Unknown
Shoplifting	Shoplifting Very Satisfied	Shoplifting Satisfied	Shoplifting Unsatisfied	Shoplifting Penalty Unknown
Break-ins	Break-ins Very Satisfied	Break-ins Satisfied	Break-ins Unsatisfied	Break-ins Penalty Unknown
Violence Against Staff	Violence Against Staff Very Satisfied	Violence Against Staff Satisfied	Violence Against Staff Unsatisfied	Violence Against Staff Penalty Unknown
Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm)	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Very Satisfied	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Satisfied	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Unsatisfied	Incidents involving a weapon (such as a knife, club or fire arm) Penalty Unknown
Store Vandalism	Store Vandalism Very Satisfied	Store Vandalism Satisfied	Store Vandalism Unsatisfied	Store Vandalism Penalty Unknown
Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Very Satisfied	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Satisfied	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Unsatisfied	Verbal/Physical Abuse when sale refused Penalty Unknown
Verbal/Physical Abuse when asked for proof of age	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asked for proof of age Very Satisfied	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asked for proof of age Satisfied	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asked for proof of age Unsatisfied	Verbal/Physical Abuse when asked for proof of age Penalty Unknown
Employee Theft	Employee Theft Very Satisfied	Employee Theft Satisfied	Employee Theft Unsatisfied	Employee Theft Penalty Unknown
Hate Crime	Hate Crime Very Satisfied	Hate Crime Satisfied	Hate Crime Unsatisfied	Hate Crime Penalty Unknown

Additional Comments

Question Title

* 8. Please estimate how much retail crime (Theft, Vandalism, Violence etc.) has cost, per store, in the past year.

Theft

Vandalism/damages

Additional/other cost (such as staff time or compensation)

Estimated Total in (including items above)

Question Title

* 9. Please estimate how much has been spent on security and preventative measures, per store, in the past year?

Question Title

* 10. In general terms, which of the following types of incident have been the most concerning for your business over the past year?

Anti-social behaviour, including incidents involving young people or school pupils

Organised crime or gangs carrying out planned shop theft/raids

The culmination of individual cases of shop theft, over the course of a year

In store threats or violence toward staff or customers, initiated by issues such as refusal of sale

Other (please specify)