Policing Minister has announced that the Government will act to
introduce tougher sentences for attacking a shopworker.
The Home Office notified the National Retail Crime Steering
Group, of which ACS is a member, that an amendment has been
tabled which would make attacking a retail worker an aggravated
offence, resulting in tougher sentencing for offenders.
The Government has previously indicated on several occasions that
it would consider an amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing
and Courts Bill in the Lords to address the issue of tougher
sentencing. ACS, USDAW, the Co-operative and others have
repeatedly called on the Government to act and send a clear
message that it takes crimes against shopworkers seriously.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “We strongly welcome the
tabling of this amendment, which the retail sector has been
calling for over a number of years. It’s essential that the
penalties for attacking a shopworker act as an effective
deterrent.
“Introducing tougher sentences for those who attack people
providing a service to the public, including shopworkers, marks a
significant step forward, but it does not solve the problem by
itself. We need to ensure that abuse is not seen as part of the
job and that all incidents are reported, and in response, Police
and Crime Commissioners must prioritise crimes committed against
retailers and their colleagues. We must also put the right
interventions in place to stop those with substance and alcohol
dependencies from reoffending.”
In briefings to MPs and Peers throughout the passage of the PCSC
Bill, ACS has outlined the scale and impact of violence and abuse
against shopworkers, with over 40,000 shopworkers experiencing
violence and 89% experiencing verbal abuse over the past year.
Figures from the 2021 ACS Crime Report also show that there were
over 1.1m incidents of theft over the last year, many of which
committed by repeat offenders with a drug or alcohol addiction.
The report also shows that there have been over 1.2m incidents of
abuse over the last year, which often go unreported. There is a
clear link between theft and abuse, with challenging shop thieves
being one of the top triggers for escalating incidents of abuse
and violence in store.
Polling conducted for the #ShopKind campaign shows that more than
a third of consumers have witnessed violence and abuse against
shopworkers.
The amendment is due to be debated during the Report stage of the
Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in the House of Lords,
scheduled to take place later this month. You can follow the
progress of the Bill here: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2839/publications
