Are people shoplifting to survive? Figures show huge increase in theft in Inverness

A huge rise in the number of people caught shoplifting in Inverness has prompted fears about how families are surviving the cost-of-living crisis.

Figures presented to the Inverness city committee on Monday showed that 686 people were caught in a nine-month period between April and November last year.

Across the same period in 2022-23 it was 386 and in 2021-22 it was 281.

Chief Inspector Judy Hill told the committee: “It is a challenging time for us.

“We are very aware of it and trying to do everything we can.

“But it is an increasing issue and a whole community response is required.”

‘It’s a very sorry state of affairs’

It is sometimes the case that an increase in crime figures is down to a greater focus on that issue.

If the force pledges to clamp down on speeding around schools, numbers are bound to rise if they park a few extra officers outside the gates and catch them.

But the way the shoplifting problem is being discussed suggests it goes beyond that.

Some of it is down to necessity.

Inverness Ness-side councillor Alasdair Christie referenced his own work as manager of the city’s Citizens Advice Bureau to outline how bad it has been getting.

He said: “We need to recognise that it is not just food items that are being stolen for personal use.

“It’s nappies, it’s formula and milk for babies, it’s sanitary and hygiene products.

“We really need to look to see what we can do to address some of this. It’s a very sorry state of affairs we’re living in at the moment.”

What can be done?

Councillor Duncan Macpherson said he had recently spoken to someone who wasn’t surprised to hear that people are having to steal food to survive.

Addressing Chief Inspector Hill, he said: “This must be causing a huge problem for the police. And what can we do?”

Chief Inspector Hill said vulnerable people were being informed about local support services wherever possible.

She said: “Without doing a deep-dive on why, I would suggest there are a number of different reasons.

“But when we are identifying people who are shoplifting to feed themselves, we are trying to sign-post them to local support services.

“All we can do is keep sign-posting them towards that support.”

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