What its response is to the suggestion by the Scottish Retail Consortium, in its Scottish Budget 2027-28 recommendations paper, that enhanc…

The Scottish Government recognises the distress caused by retail crime and is fully supportive of activity to reduce harm.The Retail Crime Taskforce was established following the launch of Police Scotland's action plan to tackle retail crime in March 2025. Operating under four key objectives – Prevent, Pursue, Protect, and Prepare – the Taskforce focuses on stopping people from becoming offenders, bringing perpetrators to justice, strengthening protections for retailers, and developing direct reporting systems.The Taskforce works alongside the Scottish Government in the Scottish Partnership Against Acquisitive Crime (SPAACE), a Police Scotland led initiative that brings together retail groups and partners to tackle a range of acquisitive crimes including theft and housebreaking.This work is supported by Scottish Government investment of £3 million for 2026-27 as part of the record funding of £1.7 billion for policing in 2026-27. Ringfenced retail crime funding of £3 million has been confirmed for a further two financial years.The Scottish Government’s Programme for Government also commits to provide an additional £1 million to the Taskforce across the next two years bringing the total funding to £10 million over the current Spending Review Period.