Senior Fed members in Scotland, including a Blantyre retailer, met with the new head of the Scottish Retail Crime Taskforce. Growing concerns about verbal and online harassment, abuse of retailers, and theft were discussed with Detective Chief Inspector Jordan Low.
Fed representatives and key issues
The Fed was represented by its former national president Mo Razzaq, a retailer based in Blantyre; its Scottish president Uthay Soundararajan, a shop owner based in Leith; and Nathalie Fullerton, its national deputy vice-president and a retailer in Partick. Also on the call was the Fed's political engagement co-ordinator Douglas Oliver.
The Fed was active in lobbying for the Task Force's creation ahead of its establishment a year ago and was also successful in calls for it to be renewed this year, together with an additional £3 million in public funding. It has already urged members to engage with the new body.
Focus on racism and harassment
The meeting focused on growing incidents of racism – both in person and on social media – which were creating a threatening environment for retailers from ethnic minority backgrounds. Ms Fullerton said: "Members have noticed an increase in verbal and online racist abuse in Scotland this summer – particularly following the riots in Southampton in early June."
Mr Razzaq also highlighted the challenge and the massive emotional toll it was having for the small teams and relatively isolated individuals it represents. DCI Low acknowledged his concern about these challenges and said that this was something he was working on already to improve reporting and awareness.
He also emphasised the need for hate crimes to be reported on the online hate crime reporting form on the Police Scotland website or via 101 so they could be investigated and recorded properly in police data to help focus resourcing.
Theft and security concerns
Mr Soundararajan spoke about continued incidences of store theft, stating that even common food products such as bacon had been stolen from his and other members' businesses, as well as higher value goods, such as alcohol. This made it extremely hard for responsible retailers to turn over the profit necessary to keep their businesses afloat.
DCI Low acknowledged continued challenges regarding retail theft, including recent statistics showing that theft had increased in Scotland. However, as the Fed acknowledged, this was partly a reflection of previous underreporting and better reporting. That said, DCI Low said that his team was working to roll out a new direct reporting tool with a digital element which retailers could use from their mobile phones for convenience and speed.
He also said he would be open to supporting the Fed's suggestion, mentioned by Mr Razzaq, for the government to introduce a targeted retail security grant to benefit small independent shops with CCTV and other security measures.
Training and education initiatives
DCI Low also spoke about accredited training that the Task Force was looking to developing to help independent retailers with their security measures, including personal safety and target hardening. In response to comments from Mr Soundararajan about the role of youths in shop theft, DCI Low highlighted educational resources his team was developing through educational videos which are planned to be shown to school children across Scotland.
He welcomed the Fed's input on this, particularly regarding the need for retailers to be treated with respect and the fact that Police Scotland treated racism and harassment of shop workers as unacceptable.
Future engagement
Mr Soundararajan highlighted the many hundreds of retailers the Fed represents in Scotland, both providing vital advocacy as well as business links and introductions. He invited DCI Low or his team to attend the Fed's forthcoming Scottish trade show in Edinburgh on November 10, as well as other events for members across Scotland.
DCI Low said the Task Force would be pleased to participate in these events and invited Fed members to join the Task Force's Retail Forums so the issues raised in this meeting could be discussed further.
