AYRSHIRE MSPs have debated the issue of retail crime and anti-social behaviour in the Scottish Parliament.

Sharon Dowey, West Scotland Conservative MSP, led a debate on the issues surrounding retail crime, and how it can be addressed.

She told Holyrood about meetings with retailers, and how concerns had been raised about the level of anti-social behaviour that staff had been facing.

She said: "Retail crime and antisocial behaviour are growing problems, and they must be urgently tackled as they have a hugely detrimental impact not only on workers but on businesses and communities across Scotland.

"Before I became an MSP, I worked in retail for more than 30 years, so I am well aware of the impact on people’s physical and mental health, and of the damage that it causes to businesses and our economy.

"Abuse and violence were often part of the job then, but were far less common than they are now.

"Retailers paint a stark picture of the magnitude of the issues that they face and of the difficulties in tackling the problem without more support from the police or government.

"I was pleased to meet more than a dozen retailers, who told me about the scale of the challenges that they face and the level of antisocial behaviour that shop workers have to put up with, from littering, throwing food and verbal abuse to assault, knife threats and worse.

"So far, the Scottish Government has not acted decisively on retail crime. I hope that the debate will shed more light on the challenges that front-line staff face, and that it will kick-start not only a conversation but action on how we can solve the issues, so that nobody faces threats in their workplace every day."

Siobhian Brown is MSP for Ayr as well as the minister for victims and community safety. She told parliament that the issue was "not acceptable" and vowed to help tackle the problem.

She said: "As the member notes, shoplifting and violence and abuse towards retail workers are part of a worrying trend across the UK - it is not unique to Scotland - that is, rightly, causing concern among our retailers.

"The latest police recorded crime statistics, for the year ending this June, suggest that shoplifting is up by more than a third on the previous year.

"That is not acceptable, and neither is the violence and threatening behaviour that often accompanies such incidents. I thank all members for their contributions to the debate.

"I know that the issue is very emotive and I think that all of us in the chamber, regardless of our political colour, want to tackle it."