Commons passes amendment making assault on shop workers aggravated offence

The House of Commons on Monday passed an amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill that makes attacking a shop worker an aggravated offence.

The amendment passed as the government agreed to the Lords amendment which inserts a new clause for offences committed against ‘a person providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing services to the public’ recommending the court to treat ‘that fact as an aggravating factor’.

“[The amendment] will send a strong message that assaults against public-facing workers are totally unacceptable and will reinforce the seriousness with which the courts treat such offences,” Tom Pursglove, minister for justice, said during the debate.

The amendment has got cross-party support in the chamber.

“I am glad the government have finally listened to the opposition, trade unions and trade bodies who have been calling for greater protection, particularly for our shop workers who have been unsung heroes and kept our country running throughout the pandemic,” Labour MP Ellie Reeves said.

Tory MP Matt Vickers said: “As chair of the all-party parliamentary group on the future of retail, I hear the horrific and increasing abuse suffered by retail workers in town centres and shopping parades across the country. Last year there were 455 assaults on retail workers—not every month, not every week, but every single day.

“These people are not assaulted because they wear shirts with Tesco or Co-op written on them; they are assaulted because they are upholding the rules that are in place to protect us. They verify people’s age when buying knives or alcohol, and during the pandemic they checked people’s masks and social distancing, undertaking statutory duties and responsibilities that we in Parliament have placed on them. It is right that they will now have statutory protections.”

The Federation of Independent Retailers (NFRN) has praised MPs for the tougher stance on thugs who attack shop workers.

“Everyone involved in retailing deserves to work in an environment that is safe. Sadly, the reality is that theft, vandalism, and physical and verbal attacks are all too familiar for many NFRN members,” Narinder Randhawa, national president of the trade body, said.

“For some considerable time, the Fed has been calling for the government to get tough on those who assault retail workers. The fact that MPs have now passed an amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill that will make it an offence to assault anyone providing a public duty is very good news indeed.”