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Successful case management initiative extended to include shoplifting cases

 

Dec 16, 2025

A Judicially led initiative involving, Police Scotland , the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Defence solicitors, victims organisations and the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service, has been extended to provide swifter justice in cases involving charges of shoplifting.

Summary Case Management , which will have been rolled out to all Sheriff Courts in Scotland by early next year, will now require the police to submit key evidence in theft by shoplifting cases to the Crown, at the time of reporting. That key evidence will be disclosed early to the defence with a view to achieving a swifter resolution.

A pilot in Dundee led to improvements in the management and resolution of shoplifting cases, through early provision of video footage. 

Key features include:
  • Police Scotland to provide video footage capturing the offence in whole or in part at the time of reporting, where available.
  • COPFS to consider this material during case marking and ensure disclosure to the defence prior to the case first calling in court.
  • Early engagement between COPFS and defence, aiming for resolution at the first calling.
  • If resolution cannot be achieved, early disclosure of the footage will enable case management from the first appearance and reduce the requests made to Police Scotland from COPFS.
  • The initiative is expected to lead to an increased proportion of cases resolved at first calling which in turn will mean fewer witnesses being cited unnecessarily, which can adversely affect small retailers.

Sheriff Principal Aisha Anwar said:

“This initiative builds on the successful Summary Case Management programme. The initiative encourages early disclosure of evidence and prompt engagement between the Crown and the defence to allow solicitors and accused persons to assess and discuss the evidence from the outset of proceedings.

“We know from experience that early disclosure of evidence often leads to an early resolution to the case, freeing up court time and significantly reducing the number of citations for the public and emergency services. It encourages early pleas of guilty, where appropriate or a more focussed and better case managed trial where a plea of not guilty is tendered.”.  


Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs, Strategic Acquisitive Crime Lead for Police Scotland, said:

“We welcome any measures that allow for a swifter resolution to retail crime, and which empower retailers to use direct reporting for offences within their stores.

“We expect shoplifting cases to be resolved more quickly under  Summary Case Management, which supports early sharing of evidence - including CCTV footage – to encourage early guilty pleas without lengthy court processes, resulting in faster justice outcomes for retailers. 
“Shoplifting makes up 40% of all recorded acquisitive crime in Scotland and has a significant impact on retailers, shop staff and wider communities, who then experience the knock-on impact of increased prices to cover lost inventory. It is not a victimless crime.
“We are committed to addressing the ongoing rise in retail crime and following a £3m funding allocation from the Scottish Government for the year 2025/26, we launched our Retail Crime Taskforce, which has been working tirelessly to support local policing divisions bring retail crime offenders to justice, while at the same time providing retail sector partners with a range of crime prevention and security enhancement support to reduce the likelihood of their premises being targeted.
“Taskforce-funded activity is also targeting organised criminals, intent on exploiting young and vulnerable members of our communities into committing retail crime on their behalf, so that proceeds can be used to fund more serious criminality throughout the country and further afield.”

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service Legal Director for Local Court, Lindsey Miller said:  

“The roll-out of the shoplifting extension is a crucial part of Summary Case Management and underlines our commitment to tackling retail crime.  
“Being able to see CCTV evidence of a shoplifting taking place as soon as the matter is reported by police allows us as prosecutors to make better and quicker decisions.  
“We have already seen examples of these recent initiatives resulting in quicker case outcomes, securing justice without the need for lengthy court proceedings and reducing inconvenience to retailers. 
“This extension will continue to support our efforts under Summary Case Management to increase resolution rates at the earliest possible stage.”


Summary Case Management

The Summary Case Management (SCM) Pilot was launched in September 2022 at Dundee, Hamilton and Paisley Sheriff Courts, before being expanded to Glasgow and Perth earlier this year. Following its success, the decision has been taken to roll it out to all courts in Scotland.
An evaluation of the pilot, revealed that cases within the pilot courts resolved  more quickly, improving the experience of victims and witnesses, particularly in domestic abuse proceedings.
More than 500 summary (non-jury) trials did not require to be fixed in the pilot courts over the 19 month period directly as a result of SCM.  During the same period, an estimated 18,000 witness citations or recitations were not issued unnecessarily, including for approximately 11,000 police officers.
Had the scheme been in place at a national level over the same period, it is estimated that almost 3,300 trials would not have been fixed and a further 50,000 police officer citations would not have been issued.
It is now being rolled out to all Sheriff Courts in Scotland and that process is due to be completed by early 2026.