New law to protect shop workers takes effect

The amended Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act has come into effect on Tuesday, making common assault against anyone working in a retail store an aggravated offence, carrying tougher penalties.

The UK government introduced the amendment earlier this year, after much lobbying by the retail sector, especially as violence and abuse against retail workers have increased over the pandemic.

Commenting, Jason Birks, national president of the Fed (Federation of Independent Retailers), said: “Attacks against store owners and their staff have been increasing for a number of years, so I am pleased that we are now being given the same protection in law as other frontline workers.

“Being attacked verbally or physically while just going about your daily business should not be tolerated and seen as part of the job. The important thing now is that the police and the Crown Prosecution Service work together to ensure this new law is an effective deterrent and not just a piece of paper.”

He urged retailers to report all incidents to highlight the scale of the problem, but noted that the police response has to improve if retail crime is to be tackled head on.

Figures from the ACS 2022 Crime Report show that in the last year, 89 per cent of colleagues working in convenience stores have faced abuse in their job, with over 35,000 incidents of violence taking place and over 16,000 incidents including the use of a weapon.

Welcoming the new law, James Lowman, ACS chief executive, said: “We are pleased that the government has introduced this new aggravated offence to provide additional protection to individuals serving the public following years of campaigning from ourselves and organisations from across the industry, this is a significant step forward but will not solve the problem by itself.

“Crime is one of the biggest challenges faced by our sector and these incidents have significant financial and emotional effects on the individuals and the businesses involved and should not be seen as part of the job. All incidents of crime against our sector should be reported and it is important that appropriate and proportionate action is taken by the justice system when these incidents occur.”

According to BRC’s latest crime survey, violence and abuse against retail workers have been tripled over the pandemic, with average number of incidents per day jumping to 1,301 in 2020-21, from 455 per day in 2019-20. Of the 1301, 125 were violent.

Scotland has last year introduced a specific offence for violence and abuse against retail workers.