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Professor John Robertson OBA
In a BBC UK extended report on shoplifting in England and Wales, we see only 18.3% of shoplifting offences were cleared up? That’s a shockingly low figure.
From Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2024-25 published in June 2025:
Shoplifting had the largest decrease, from 50.3% to 49.0%.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2024-25/
So the shoplifting clear-up rate in Scotland is nearly three times greater than in England & Wales.
Why might that be?
241 police officers per 100 000 people in England and Wales but 317 per 100 000 in Scotland, 31% more!
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-30-september-2024/police-workforce-england-and-wales-30-september-2024 https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn00634/
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Might be of interest but under Premium content in P@J.
Sheriff tells dealers caught in Cradlehall raid they are ‘disposable’ to crime bosses
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Thanks
Managed a quick screen capture after several goes
John
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The shoplifting scare is part of the ‘lawless Britain’ campaign by right wing parties.
During the course of my nearly 80 year life I can recall several occasions when the media punted stories about it.
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I suspect the Scotland/England difference is less down to police numbers rather than fewer being so desperate, even fewer of the public willing to turn a blind eye, and a police force better trusted.
Whilst I agree with Alasdair’s point over this being a regular media story, I don’t think we have a clear picture on the degree of England’s problem with rising criminality even when such as ‘County Lines’ venture north, which James Cook is at particular pains to minimise publicity….
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