Poundstretcher boss slams police response after brazen thieves repeatedly raid Aberdeen store

The boss of Aberdeen’s Poundstretcher has made a desperate plea to police after his store has been raided repeatedly by shoplifters.

The area manager has revealed the details of a spate of thefts at the shop and has slammed the response of officers, claiming the reports from the business on Great Northern Road are not being dealt with.

He also alleges that he has been assaulted after confronting shoplifters and was told off by police for dialling 999 to report a theft.

Over the past month, shoplifting has “increased significantly” at the Poundstretcher, with the value of stolen goods rising.

According to Mr McNamee, brazen thieves have walked into his shop and made off with large items such as mattress toppers.

In a scathing letter to local councillors, Gary McNamee called for action, saying Police Scotland’s response to thefts from the store has been “far from acceptable”.

Repeat raids on Aberdeen Poundstretcher

April 9

Two men stole approximately £100 of puppy pads and food.

The store manager followed them and called 999 due to it being a live incident.

He was able to tell the operator the block of flats they went into, however, he claims the response was a call from police to reprimand him for the misuse of 999, as it “wasn’t an emergency”.

The accusation of “misuse” was subsequently dropped.

However, he claims no police officer attended and it was dealt with via a telephone interview several days later.

By this time, the same shoplifters had been back in “another couple of times”.

April 15

During this incident, the store manager attempted to stop the female shoplifter from leaving the premises.

In doing so, he was assaulted before she left the store. An off-duty paramedic was outside and called it into police.

Within five minutes, an officer attended to investigate the assault.

In his email, Mr McNamee said: “The point here is that the police can respond when the correct person makes the call.

“It just feels as a retailer when making the call there is no interest.”

April 20

£335 worth of “bulky” memory foam toppers were stolen by one woman and two men.

When running out the store, the woman dropped her bank card. The name on it confirmed it was who the store suspected.

A call was made to 101 and the response was a scheduled interview for later in the week.

The manager of the store does not understand why on-call officers were not notified of this, as the thief is reportedly “one of the best-known shoplifters in Aberdeen”.

Police ‘should respond quicker’ to Poundstretcher thefts

Mr McNamee believes these incidents would have had “more chance of an arrest” if the police had “acted quicker”.

In his email to councillors, he said he “appreciates” the police “can’t be everywhere all of the time”.

However, he said the response Poundstretcher gets when they report incidents is “never going to deal with the issues we’re facing”.

Mr McNamee added: “When calling 101, instead of an officer attending the store, we only get a scheduled telephone interview for later in the week.

“Every minute it takes to respond decreases the likelihood of an arrest or getting stolen goods back.”

Deena Tissera – who represents the area – has written to Police Scotland.  The councillor addressed Poundstretcher’s concerns. She challenged the force on its “inability” to respond to reports of shoplifting.

She said: “Police Scotland must be held accountable for their actions. They have let the public of Aberdeen down by showing that the crime of theft is of low priority.

“I am demanding that Police Scotland patrol the Woodside shops to ensure crime does not pay.”

‘Officers carry out regular patrols, including Great Northern Road’

In response, Inspector Simon Lewis Dalby of Police Scotland said: “While acquisitive crime in Aberdeen reduced during 2024, shoplifting reports have increased this year.

“However, the number offenders identified for shoplifting has also increased, demonstrating our commitment to investigating these crimes.

“I want those living and working in the Woodside area to feel safe. Officers carry out regular patrols, including Great Northern Road, and we work closely with retailers and local communities right across the city.”