Assaulting a retail worker will be made a standalone criminal offence in England and Wales, after the government U-turned in the light of lobbying from business and unions.
The move to create the new offence follows a long campaign on this issue from some of the biggest retailers including John Lewis and Co-op and MPs, who have called for more action to protect their staff.
The policy is part of a wider crackdown on serial or abusive shoplifters who will face tougher punishments. Perpetrators could be sent to prison for up to six months, receive an unlimited fine and be banned from going back to the shop where they committed their crimes, with criminal behaviour orders barring them visiting specific premises.
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The Scottish government introduced a specific offence for violence and abuse of retail staff under the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) Act 2021. The UK government has previously resisted calls to make assaulting a shop worker a standalone offence in England and Wales, but faced pressure to do so from retailers.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak acknowledged that shoplifting and violence and abuse towards retail workers continue to rise.
“I am sending a message to those criminals – whether they are serious organised criminal gangs, repeat offenders or opportunistic thieves – who think they can get away with stealing from these local businesses or abusing shopworkers, enough is enough,” he said.
“Our local shops are the lifeblood of our communities, and they must be free to trade without the threat of crime or abuse.”
Paddy Lillis, general secretary of the Usdaw union, said: “Usdaw has long called for action that includes a standalone offence for assaulting a shopworker and that has been vehemently opposed by this government and their Conservative MPs on many occasions.
“This long overdue U-turn is the culmination of many years of sustained campaigning by Usdaw and others. Our members have had to wait too long for their voices to be heard and common sense to prevail.”
Lillis added that the government’s proposals must at least match the laws introduced in Scotland.
Paul Gerrard, campaigns and public affairs director of The Co-op Group, said: “The Co-op sees every day the violence and threats our colleagues, like other retail workers, face as they serve the communities they live in.
“We have long called for a standalone offence of attacking or abusing a shopworker and so we very much welcome the government’s announcement today.
“The Co-op will redouble our work with police forces but these measures will undoubtedly, when implemented, keep our shopworkers safer, protect the shops they work in and help the communities both serve.”
Sharon White, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, said: “Retail crime is never victimless – it costs retailers over £1 billion every year and can have a huge impact on the shop workers involved.
“We’ve long called for violence towards retail workers to be recognised as a standalone offence so welcome this announcement, which sends a clear message that abuse will never be tolerated. It will help deter acts of aggression, and allow police to drive prosecutions should instances escalate.”
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “The impact of retail violence has steadily worsened, with people facing racial abuse, sexual harassment, threatening behaviour, physical assault and threats with weapons, often linked to organised crime. Victims are ordinary hardworking people – teenagers taking on their first job, carers looking for part-time work, parents working around childcare.
“This announcement sends a clear message that abusive behaviour will not be tolerated and it is vital the police use this new legislation to step up their response to incidents.”
The government will clamp down on offenders who repeatedly target the country’s high streets, with serial offenders forced to wear tags to track their movements.
The Home Office said it will ramp up the use of facial recognition technology to help catch perpetrators and prevent shoplifting in the first place.
Crime and policing minister Chris Philp said: “Sadly if you speak to anyone working in retail, they will tell you of the verbal abuse and sometimes violent assaults they’ve been victims of, simply for trying to do their job.
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“In no other workplace would this be accepted. I have been driving forward action to improve the police response to retail crime since I became policing minister because nothing less than a zero-tolerance approach will do.”
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