Man charged for nearly thirty retail offences in Barrhead and Paisley

A man has been charged with nearly 30 retail crime offences following proactive inquiries in Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire.

Local officers, supported by information from the Retail Crime Taskforce, had been investigating various incidents at stores within Barrhead and Paisley dating back to May this year and on Monday, 22 September a 51-year-old male was identified and arrested within the Iceland store on Main Street, Barrhead.

He has been reported for 21 shopliftings and six offences under the Protection of Retail Workers (Scotland) Act and was held in custody to appear at Paisley Sheriff Court on Tuesday, 23 September.

Chief Inspector Gillian Faulds, Local Area Commander for East Renfrewshire, said: “These offences caused distress and alarm to the retail workers within the stores, even on the occasions where there was no interaction with them directly.

“Retail offences are not victimless, and they will not be tolerated.

“Our colleagues at the Retail Crime Taskforce assisted with collating packages into the incidents in Barrhead and Paisley, allowing us to make an arrest and this case highlights our collective commitment to tackling retail crime and bringing offenders to justice.”