Government to publish response to retail crime evidence in ‘next few weeks’

Crime Minister Kit Malthouse said the government will publish its response to the call for evidence on retail crime next month.

“We will publish the response to the call for evidence next month; it will come shortly, in the next few weeks. I hope that that will be the start of action, not the end,” he told a Westminster Hall debate on the Protection of Retail Workers.

The Home Office call for evidence on violence and abuse toward shop workers closed in June 2019 and received over 800 responses from individual shop workers, small shopkeepers, unions and business organisations.

The full response was expected to be published in Autumn, but pushed back due to the December General Election.

The debate on 11 February, led by Mike Amesbury MP, was the second such debate on the topic within three months, with the previous one being held on the last day of the last parliament in November 2019.

Malthouse said he will create two groups, one to work through the retail crime data and another to develop effective messaging around the unacceptability of violence.

During the debate, MPs agreed that there should be a specific new offence for attacks against someone serving the public.

“We require shopworkers to uphold legislation passed by parliament so the least we can do is make sure we protect those same workers,” said Gareth Thomas MP.

MPs also demanded visible community policing presence on the high street as a deterrent to retail crime.

“A massive part of protecting retailers comes in the knowledge that a police force is close at hand, ready and able to respond quickly. One way of achieving protection is CCTV on the high street and in shops, but we need a police presence too,” said Jim Shannon MP.

Malthouse said there is case for specific sentencing for attacks against shop workers and he will take up the matter with Justice Secretary Robert Buckland.

“We obviously have a general offence of assault, which can be used, and aggravating factors in particular circumstances should also be taken into account in sentencing, but we will certainly have a look (at specific sentence),” he said.