An east-end shopkeeper who took a machete to his thigh after being attacked by a gang of youths has backed calls for emergency action on a “tsunami” of retail crime across Scotland.

The Scottish Government has today been urged to put an emergency plan into action after thousands of assaults on shop workers and reports of thefts doubling in recent months. The Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) say retailers have reported being abused or assaulted almost 8,000 times in just two years.

They claim that the torrent of shop theft – some involving organised crime groups – has led to suspected losses worth millions and led to rising numbers of staff being forced out over safety. One man who has been hit hard by the wave of crime is dad-of-three Mohammad Rajak.

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