Concerning figures released by Police Scotland in an FOI undertaken by the office of Murdo Fraser MSP has revealed shockingly high cases of assault of retail staff in Perth city centre last year.
The data revealed that in 2024/25 there were 36 incidences of assault and 27 incidences of threatening and abusive behaviour toward retail workers in Perth city centre.
Last year, Mr Fraser met with the new Chief Inspector (CI) of Perth and Kinross Division, where they spoke in depth on the need to tackle crime in the city centre and the Conservative MSP is now calling on First Minister John Swinney to meet with him and business owners to address the crime emergency facing the city centre.
Commenting, Mr Fraser said, “Crime in Perth city centre is now out of control. Years of funding cuts to local authorities and our police has left our already struggling high streets at the mercy of criminals and its high time the First Minister addressed this issue, starting with his own back yard.
“I have spoken with business owners from the city centre and across Perth and Kinross who regularly experience harassment and assault of their staff members. I fear that the figures revealed in this FOI only scratch the surface as it is clear many of these incidents go unreported. Businesses are already suffering enough, with increases to business rates, national insurance hikes, and inflationary pressures.
“The Scottish Conservatives are on the side of business and in this new parliament we want to ensure that police funding is protected so that the police are patrolling our streets, not monitoring non-crime hate incidents.
“Perth is my home and has so much to offer, but if these levels of crime are allowed to continue, the ‘Fair City’ may lose its claim to that name.
