Thieves steal cashmere and whisky as staff left afraid on 'lawless' Royal Mile

Scotland’s most famous street, which attracts millions of tourists every year, has become a hotspot for thieves with business owners fearing for the safety of their staff.

CCTV footage shared with STV News shows multiple shoplifters walking out of stores in Edinburgh’s Old Town with valuable products in the middle of the day.

The Gold Brothers Group and Scottish Experience Company on the Royal Mile and on the Bridges reported that people are also smashing windows after closing time.

Royal Mile 'lawless' amid rise in thieves as businesses fear for staff safety — Royal Mile ‘lawless’ amid rise in thieves as businesses fear for staff safety Gold Brothers Group

In the videos, thieves are seen being caught by staff with products in their hands and walking directly out of the door.

Shoplifters were also caught on CCTV filling large bags with products including Harris Tweed, cashmere and whisky.

One video shows a member of staff chasing a man who had taken multiple items on hangers, he is shown throwing them on the floor after a short pursuit.

In a joint statement, the shop owners said there’s a “theft-demic” happening on the street and are calling for an increased police presence in the area to combat the crime.

The businesses said staff are reporting costly damages and thefts on a “near daily basis” with their staff left feeling “intimated, threatened, uneasy and nervous by this lawlessness”.

Galab Singh Gold said the “smash and grab” trend has thieves targeting shops with expensive products such as Harris Tweed handbags or travel bags, kilts, and cashmere scarves to be resold.

“In all the time our family have been trading in the Old Town, we have never experienced anything like it is now, it’s absolutely shocking and frighteningly lawless,” he said.

Mr Gold fears someone will be “really hurt”, adding that staff recently reported seeing some thieves with knives.

A Gold Brothers spokesperson said Heritage of Edinburgh on South Bridge and the Tartan Weaving Mill on Castlehill both had windows kicked in three nights in a row with high-value bags and blankets stolen from the windows.

Roberta Puzielli said theft incidents have never been this bad. STV News

Roberta Puzielli, manager of Heritage of Scotland, has worked with the company for six years and said incidents of theft have never been this bad.

“I would say in the last six months probably before summer, it’s daily,” she told STV News.

“For now they’ve just been taking stuff but what happens if somebody one day comes with a knife and threaten my staff or myself. It’s dangerous.”

Sabine Fischlin, manager at The Woolen Mill, said she and her team feel”constantly on edge”.

“Some people are having their sleep affected at this point where they just wake up at night because their brain is sending out an alert and then they’re awake for a couple of hours. It’s stressful,” she said.

The Gold Brothers spokesperson described the people involved with the thefts as “well-attired professionals who blend in with visitors and are difficult to identify”.

The spokesperson added: “The thieves can be seen on CCTV footage climbing up the building on Castlehill to smash and grab the goods and hand them down to an accomplice.”

The Scottish Experience Company, which has several tourist shops in the Old Town, said it regularly has items stolen, including whisky bottles, sweets, and Harris Tweed handbags.

Mr Bindi Singh said the criminal activity was getting worse in the run-up to Christmas.

Both companies said the public is becoming more aware of the growing issue but said the lack of visible police presence continues to be a problem.

Victor Spence, chair of the Gold Brothers Group’s board, urged police to visit the area more often.

“Day and night, by patrol car, by foot because not only are our staff affected by this situation – they’re feeling very anxious and stressed about it – but our visitors experience this situation as well,” he said.

Police Scotland said it is aware of ongoing issues and has a dedicated investigative team targeting acquisitive crime.

The force said all reported incidents are being investigated and confirmed that a 43-year-old man had been charged in connection with thefts from two shops that occurred on October 10 and 14.

Chief inspector Mark Hamilton said: “We are fully aware of the ongoing issues with thefts in the High Street area and we have a dedicated investigative team targeting acquisitive crime who work very closely with local businesses. 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,” he said.

“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.”