Shoplifting cases recorded in Scotland since 2019: FOI release

Information requested

You asked for the total number of shoplifting cases recorded in Scotland, broken down by

i) regional policing division,

ii) the number of those cases that were closed without a suspect being identified, and

iii) the number of cases that resulted in a charge or summons, for each year since 2019.

Response

Source: data underlying Recorded Crime in Scotland: year ending December 2024

Table 2: Charges reported to COPFS under Theft by Shoplifting, 2019 to 2024 Q1
Crime	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024 Q1
Theft by Shoplifting	19,225	14,593	11,165	13,208	16,426	4,952

Source: COPFS Management Information Unit​​​​​​

Table 3: Shoplifting charges proceeded against in Scottish courts, 2019 to 2023 Q1
Crime	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023 Q1
Theft by Shoplifting	12,104	7,707	6,765	8,601	2,189

Source: data underlying Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2022-23

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested. The reasons why we don't have the information are explained below. The Scottish Government does not have the information you have asked for because we do not receive data on the number of cases that were closed without a suspect being identified from Police Scotland.

We do receive data on crimes that have been cleared up, ie. where there exists a sufficiency of evidence under Scots law to justify consideration of criminal proceedings notwithstanding that a report is not submitted to the procurator fiscal because either:

(i) by standing agreement with the procurator fiscal, the police warn the accused due to the minor nature of the offence, or

(ii) reporting is inappropriate due to the non-age of the accused, death of the accused or other similar circumstances.

This is available from Table 3 in Recorded Crime - 2023-24 - Bulletin - Tables. However, please note that because crimes may be cleared up in a different year than they were recorded, the number of cleared up crimes in a calendar year does not relate to the number of recorded crimes in the same year.

COPFS interpret the term “cases that resulted in a charge” as charges reported. I have therefore provided the most recent data available for the number of charges that were reported to COPFS under the Shoplifting charge for the period 1 January 2019 to 31 March 2024 in Table 2.

The number of cases that have resulted in a summons is equivalent to the number of charges proceeded against in Scottish courts. The most recent data available is up to 31 March 2023, which I have provided in Table 3.

Care should be taken when comparing different data sources relating to the criminal justice system. For example, recorded crime statistics count crimes and offences at the time that they came to the attention of Police Scotland while criminal proceedings statistics report on cases which have concluded in court. This means that a crime may be recorded by the police in one year and court proceedings concluded in a subsequent year. There is also the possibility that the crime recorded by the police may be altered in the course of judicial proceedings.

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

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