Over 65 leading retailers and industry bodies have made an impassioned plea to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to tackle the increasing number of physical and verbal attacks on shop workers.
Senior retail leaders, including ACS, NFRN and SGF chiefs, on Thursday (4 February) have written to the prime minister calling for legislation to make assaulting shop workers a separate offence, the same as in Scotland.
The letter urges the government “to treat the issue with the seriousness it deserves and improve protection for our employees by creating a new statutory offence of assaulting, threatening or abusing a retail worker.”
Attacks on retailers and their staff have been a growing trend for some time. In March last year, the annual British Retail Consortium crime survey reported that over 400 incidents of violence or abuse were occurring daily.
Major triggers for these incidents included challenging customers for ID when purchasing age restricted items or encountering shoplifters.
Nearly a year on, the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation and has caused a dramatic spike in such incidents. Retailers have reported being verbally and physically assaulted, coughed at and spat at for trying to implement government rules regarding the wearing of face coverings in shops.
"Independent retailers have been and continue to be at the frontline during this crisis, and have to deal with physical and verbal threats on a near daily basis for simply doing their jobs," commented Stuart Reddish, NFRN national president and one of the signatories.
"These are not victimless crimes - they have a serious impact on people who have been injured or experienced psychological trauma, as well as their families and the communities they serve.
"The time has come for the government to take immediate action and toughen the law to protect shop workers across the whole of the UK."
The letter has been signed by: ALDI, Ann Summers, ASDA Stores, Association of Convenience Stores, B&Q, Bensons for Beds, BIRA, Burger King, Booksellers Association, Boots UK, Bravissimo, BRC, Card Factory, Carpetright, Cath Kidston, Central England Co-operative, Costa Coffee, Costcutter Supermarkets, Debenhams, Dixons Carphone Group, Dune Group, Greggs, Harvey Nichols, hmv, Homebase, Iceland Foods, IKEA UK, JD Sports, John Lewis, KFC, Lidl GB, L’Occitane, Marks & Spencer, McDonald’s, McKesson, Mountain Warehouse, Music Industries Association, NFRN, Pets at Home, Post Office, Poundland, Primark, Reiss, Richer Sounds, Sainsbury’s, Savers Health and Beauty, Schuh, Scottish Grocers’ Federation, Scottish Midland Co-operative Society, Screwfix Direct, Seasalt, SPAR UK, Starbucks UK, Studio Retail, Superdrug Stores, The Body Shop, The Co-operative Group, The Fragrance Group, The Perfume Shop, Timpson, USDAW, Vision Express, Waitrose, WHSmith, Wickes Building Supplies, WM Morrison.
Ian Howell
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