Reporting Crime
How to report retail crime
If you have been the victim of retail crime, Police Scotland advises you take the following steps:
Call 999 or 101.
Ensure any staff member who requires medical attention as a result of crime, receives is. This takes precedence.
Protect – and do not touch – anything which has been touched by a suspect to allow the opportunity for crime scene management.
If police cannot attend write down some notes eg date/time of incident, description of suspect, clothing worn, weapon carried, anything said, etc as it is easy to forget. In any case, officers will interview all potential witnesses to understand what they saw/heard and this will involve probing questions.
Make CCTV evidence available for police to remove from the premises. It’s important to know how long each premises retains its CCTV – some are 24 hours, 7 days, 28 days. Shopworkers/managers must secure the CCTV so that it is not over-written prior to police attendance. CCTV is the best evidence in court.
You can help
Justice for retail staff
