Scottish shops are to lock down booze in a bid to beat the £150 million shoplifting crisis

SCOTS retailers are keeping expensive drinks and goods under lock and key in a bid to beat a £150 million shoplifting crisis.

Shops have introduced dramatic new measures, with some even fitting emergency buzzers in drinks aisles to let staff know when a customer wants a high-value item such as spirits or champagne.

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Retailers claim the theftThe epidemic is being exacerbated by the fact that Scotland’s cash-strapped Police Force ‘lacks the resources to respond effectively’.

Some stores have locked other expensive items, such as steaks, in glass boxes accessible only to staff after it emerged theft costs the retail industry £150 million a year.

Ewan MacDonald-Russell, deputy chief executive of the Scottish Retail Consortium, told the Mail on Sunday: “The scale and scope of retail crime is now so serious that it is completely changing the shopping experience for customers.

“Unfortunately, shoppers at many retail locations are being affected by further measures to protect staff and products – including security gates, cupboards, packaged goods, protective screens, guards and security tags – in response to the wave of shoplifting.

“With theft rates soaring every year, it is difficult to say when, or even if, shopping will return to normal.”

The Scottish Grocers’ Federation says the ‘tsunami’ of shoplifting is so bad that 77 per cent of stores don’t bother to report thefts because they think there will be no follow-up.

Mr MacDonald-Russell added: “Scottish retailers lost more than £150 million last year with more than a million incidents.

“That loss is being felt by consumers through higher prices and a worse shopping experience, as retailers are forced to implement security measures to protect inventory and reduce shrinkage due to crime.

“The hard truth is that retailers report crimes time and time again, but police do not have the resources to respond quickly and effectively.”

A Police Scotland A spokesperson said: “While we have seen an increase in reports of shoplifting thefts, there has also been an increase in the detection of these types of crimes.

“We work closely with retailers and businesses to deter, prevent and investigate retail crime.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson told the Mail: “We would encourage retailers to report all crimes to Police Scotland.”