Local retailers have called for the same protection as other frontline workers as part of the newly announced Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.
The new legislation unveiled in parliament today (9 March) proposes an overhaul of the criminal justice system, with punishments set to reflect severity of crimes and police to get stronger powers and protections.
The wide-ranging bill will see maximum penalties doubled from 12 months to two years for those who assault police or other emergency workers, such as prison officers, fire personnel or frontline health workers.
The Federation of Independent retailers (NFRN) said shop workers should also be included in the list, asserting that retailers and their staff are just as much in the firing line, with physical and verbal attacks occurring in shops up and down the country on a daily basis.
“As long as there is no effective deterrent, these attacks in our stores will continue to seriously affect the lives of ordinary, innocent people who are simply doing their jobs,” Stuart Reddish, NFRN national president said.
In January, the Scottish Parliament passed the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Bill, which makes attacking a store worker a specific offence, while assaults or abuse relating to the sale of age-restricted products – such as alcohol or tobacco – also become an aggravating factor in law, attracting higher penalties for perpetrators.
The NFRN has called on MPs in Westminster to now support the Assaults on Retail Workers (Offences) Bill presented by Alex Norris MP in 2020 and amend the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill to include attacks on shop workers.
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