Central England Co-op has condemned an incident which saw a colleague assaulted after a shoplifting incident in a Derbyshire store by reiterating its message that violence and aggression towards its staff will “not be tolerated”.
The employee was not seriously injured but was “extremely” shaken by the incident, reports said. The symbol group retailer is reportedly helping the police with their investigation.
“We strongly condemn any form of abuse or violence towards our colleagues and are offering our full support to the entire team at our Cotteridge store,” Central England Co-op loss prevention manager Craig Goldie said.
“These types of incidents reinforce our ongoing campaign calling for better protection for shop workers and highlights our zero-tolerance policy on all types of crime aimed at our colleagues and customers.
“Once again, we’re sending a clear message out to anyone who might consider targeting our colleagues and stores – it’s not worth the risk and no crime will be tolerated.”
The news comes after the retail trade union Usdaw claimed in a recent report that 9 in 10 of retail workers are suffering abuse from customers.
The research revealed that 90 percent of the 3,500 retail employees who responded have been subject to verbal abuse in the last 12 months. Almost two-thirds (64 percent percent) were threatened by a customer while more than one in every ten (12 percent) were physically assaulted.
