Royal Mile 'lawless' with smash-and-grab thieves

Angie Brown
BBC Scotland, Edinburgh and East reporter

Shopkeepers say Edinburgh's Royal Mile has become "lawless" with smash-and-grab thieves stealing thousands of pounds' worth of goods in recent months.

BBC News has obtained CCTV showing people walking out of shops with expensive cashmere scarves, jumpers and jackets in broad daylight.

One man can be seen kicking in a plate-glass window at night to steal armfuls of Harris Tweed bags, costing up to £150 each.

Staff say the area has become dangerous and intimidating, and that despite reporting thefts to police on an almost daily basis, nothing has been done.

Police Scotland says a dedicated team is working with businesses in the area and is investigating every report.

Galab Singh Gold, who owns dozens of shops on and around the Royal Mile, told BBC News he had lost £15,000 worth of stock to theft in the last three months.

He also faces the cost of replacing smashed windows - with a bill for one incident costing £3,000.

He said he had hours of CCTV footage showing how "brazen" thieves had become, "kicking in windows" in front of passers-by.

The 47-year-old said it was the worst he had ever seen in the 35 years his family had been running shops on the famous mile.

He believes gangs are involved as he has noticed the same people stealing high-end items on various occasions.

"Someone is either ordering these bags or they know people that are buying them so they know it will be easy to get rid of the bags," he said.

"The police say they don't have the resources to tackle something like this but it's not just petty crime any more - this is organised theft."

Mr Singh Gold said on some occasions thieves had gone into shops during the day and looked at staff "dead in the eye" while picking up piles of cashmere and other expensive items.

One staff member has been punched in the face while others have been knocked to the floor.

Some say they receive intimidation and abuse if they try to apprehend thieves.

Mr Singh Gold added: "We have lost several good members of staff because they feel threatened and unsafe at work now.

"We have had staff threatened at work saying 'I know which bus you catch on the way home and I'm going to be waiting for you'.

"We are sick of calling the police and making reports and downloading CCTV and then nothing happens."

Calling the problem a "theftdemic" Mr Singh Gold said he was going to have to employ security guards during the day at £8,000 a month.

He said the thieves watched his stores for opportunities to lift whole baskets of products before slipping down nearby closes.

"It's shocking that it's allowed to take place on the most prestigious street in the country," he said.

"The city centre has become lawless and this is where they are getting the brazenness because they know that the systems we have in place with the policing and the control of crime has failed."

'We cannot touch them'

Maria Sanchez, manager of Marchbrae on the Royal Mile, told BBC Scotland she was punched in the face by a woman holding a vape.

The 46-year-old, who has been working for Mr Singh Gold's shop for seven years, said the thieves were "very aggressive".

"They know their rights, they know we cannot touch them and most of the staff are scared of them," she said.

"When we call the police they say if it's not dangerous then they will just take a statement over the phone, and pop out a few days later for you to sign it."

She said the day after she was punched some thieves were waiting for her outside the shop and she had to call colleagues for back-up.

"It's very dark when I leave work and it makes me feel scared," she said. "It is a very dangerous street now as it's full of criminals."

Sabine Fischlin, manager of the Woollen Mill on the Royal Mile, said the situation had been getting "significantly worse" since August.

Now staff remove all the Harris Tweed handbags from the shop windows before closing.

She said: "We feel unsafe, stressed and staff members are feeling constantly on edge.

"We are expecting it to happen at any moment and it's affecting some staff member's sleep at this point.

"We are in contact with police on almost a daily basis at this point."

Police confirmed that a 43-year-old man had recently been charged over thefts from two shops on the Royal Mile in October.

Regular police patrols

Ch Insp Mark Hamilton, of Police Scotland, said the force was "fully aware" of ongoing issues with thefts in the area.

He said there was a dedicated team working with businesses and that police carried out regular patrols.

He said: "I can assure everyone that we are investigating all incidents reported to us.

"We work closely with the retail and business sectors to deter, prevent and investigate retail crime.

"Where we identify businesses which are being targeted by shoplifters, we have trained officers who can attend and carry out security surveys and offer advice around prevention."

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