The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has welcomed long overdue cash to fund tobacco enforcement but warned that police underfunding will undermine retailers’ confidence in law and order.
In the Spending Review, the Chancellor set out the funding being allocated to each Government department over the next five years.
During her speech today (June 11), the Chancellor announced that the policing budget will increase by 2.3 per cent per year above inflation over the review period, in line with the baseline for other departments.
When coupled with concerns across the country that local council budgets are stretched to breaking point, both the police and local enforcement officers are facing real resourcing challenges to deal with the tide of theft, abuse, violence and rogue trading blighting the communities where local shops trade.
As part of the Spending Review, the Government has announced an additional £80m per year for smoking cessation and enforcement, linked to the introduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
ACS has highlighted that Trading Standards teams are drastically under-resourced, with officers typically only able to visit a premises as a result of intelligence and reports from consumers or other businesses.
Research conducted for ACS last year showed that Trading Standards teams would need at least £140m over the next five years to deal with illicit vapes alone, with £30m required this year.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said, “Retailers are losing confidence in the ability of the justice system to make a difference to the level of crime that they experience on a regular basis, both in terms of direct impact through theft, abuse and violence, as well as indirectly through losses to rogue traders selling illicit goods.
“The investment in enforcement of the tobacco and vapes market is long overdue and will be welcomed by all responsible retailers who are sick of seeing rogue operators trading with impunity in their communities.
"This must change, and if the £80m announced for smoking cessation and enforcement is properly-allocated to the front line, it could make a real difference. We must prioritise resources to shore up the most basic principles of the rule of law, to support those who follow it and intervene against those who don’t.”
