NFRN urges police and government to act on 'completely unacceptable' rise in retail crime

A survey of more than 12,000 retail workers by the Home Affairs Committee found that only one in five shopworkers who reported incidents of abuse or violence were satisfied with the official response from the police or their employer.

And two thirds of those who reported incidents suggested no help was given to them after receiving an initial response from their employer or the police.

The latest national annual report from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) shows the number of incidents of violence and abuse suffered by shopworkers has reached 455 a day – almost one every minute. It said the financial cost to the retail industry was “a staggering £2.5 billion a year”.

The Home Affairs Committee survey published this week found that 87 per cent of respondents had reported incidents to their employer but, in 45 per cent of these cases, no further action was taken. Half of respondents reported incidents to the police, of which only 12 per cent led to an arrest.

A third of those responding to the survey did not report incidents to their employer because they believed nothing would be done or it was “just part of the job”. More than a quarter did not report incidents because they believed the police would not do anything about it.

Retail workers felt that better security at retail premises and more severe punishments for offenders would help prevent incidents in the future.

Committee chair Yvette Cooper said: “The sheer number of responses we have received shows just how widespread this problem is. In far too many cases retail workers don’t report incidents as they feel nothing will be done or that they’re expected to deal with such appalling incidents as part of their job. That’s simply not the case and it’s clear that action is needed to change this.”

NFRN national president Stuart Reddish said: “Independent retailers have been and continue to be at the front line during the Covid-19 pandemic, and have to deal with physical and verbal threats on a near-daily basis for simply doing their jobs.

“Nobody should have to deal with such incidents but, sadly, all too often retail workers have come to see it as just that – part of the job.

“We will continue to lobby the Government to tighten the law so that any form of attack on shop workers is taken more seriously and ensure there are more stringent penalties for those who commit such crimes. I would also urge everyone involved in retail to report every crime incident.”

Mr Reddish’s comments followed a Westminster Hall debate this week about greater protection for workers.

MPs from all parties paid tribute to the efforts that all those working in the retail sector went to throughout the pandemic, agreeing that it was “completely unacceptable” that incidents of retail crime were rising.

Stockton South MP Matt Vickers led the debate after a petition calling for better protection for retail workers collected 104,354 signatures.

He said: “Over the past year, while most of us have retreated to the safety and comfort of our own homes, many of our retail workers rolled up their sleeves and got on with it, making sure that our shops remained stocked so that we could all access the essentials we needed as we bunkered down to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

“We have asked a lot of our retail workers over the past year: not only have we asked them to brave the pandemic, potentially putting themselves at risk from the virus, but we have asked them to implement the measures that were designed to keep us all safe, such as mask wearing and social distancing. As a result, violence and abuse directed towards retail workers has gone through the roof.

“Retail staff must be able to do their jobs without the fear that they will be on the receiving end of abuse or worse at any time throughout their shift. We need a punishment for these crimes that shows that we stand by our retail staff and that acts as a proper deterrent.”

Home Office Under Secretary Chris Philp agreed that it was “completely unacceptable” for people in retail to be subject to threats, violence and abuse while serving the public, and called for more reporting of crimes.

The BRC is calling for a statutory offence for assaulting, threatening, or abusing a retail worker. The Scottish Parliament has already taken decisive action to better protect retail workers through Daniel Johnson MSP’s Shopworker Protection Bill. This means retail staff are better protected in Dumfries than they are 30 miles south in Carlisle, says the BRC.

“A new statutory offence would toughen sentences for those who are violent or abusive towards shopworkers, deter future perpetrators, and ensure shopworkers feel safer at work,” said the BRC. “This is combined with calls for police forces across the UK to prioritise retail crime and improve their response to incidents.”