The All Party Parliamentary Group on Retail Crime (APPG) has pledged to continue campaigning for the government to provide better protection within the retail industry.

Members met on Tuesday, 15th September and discussed how to ensure that staff within the retail industry are protected from retail crime.

The government’s response to the Call for Evidence on Violence against Shopworkers, the Sentencing Council Consultation and Alex Norris’s Assault on Retail Workers Private Members Bill were the main topics of discussion during the meeting.

A review into the penalties passed onto those convicted to better reflect both the physical and psychological impact on victims was also highlighted.

Earlier this week, ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) urged for sentencing guidelines to do more to address violence against shopworkers.

Figures from the 2020 ACS Crime Report show that there have been over 50,000 incidents of violence, abuse and threats towards people working in the convenience sector.

APPG Chairman Steve McCabe said: “Up until now, there is a clear loss of trust from members of the retail industry because of the lack of justice dished out to perpetrators.

“However, the APPG is successfully putting the case forward for changes to be made, and we will continue to make this case until retailers feel safe in their shops.”

The Minister of Policing has now written to PCCs and Chief Constables setting out that the theft of goods valued up to £200 from a shop should be prosecuted as a criminal offence.

The government is set to look at the effectiveness of s176, which relates to the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing 2014 Act and the post-legislative scrutiny of the Act (paragraph 59).

Mr McCabe and other APPG members and officers also decided that each MP would contact their PCC to ensure that the guidance within the letters are fully understood.

Parliamentarians who have expressed interest on tackling retail crime will be contacted by APPG to involve them further with the campaign.

Members said they are keen to encourage the government to make Victim Impact Statements mandatory.

Those that perpetrate these crimes are more likely to get the sentence they should if the real impact of the crime is laid bare.

A date for a second reading on Labour and Co-operative MP Alex Norris’s Assault on Shopworkers Private Members Bill is set for Friday, 25th September.

Mr Norris came to the APPG to engage with the group and ensure that all interested parties work together to get retailers the protection they need.

He aid: “We have seen some brilliant engagement to push the campaign and the briefings that the APPG have provided will be very useful for getting our messages across”.

He continued: “The campaign is most effective when it includes real stories of violence against store workers and we must push these stories as much as we can”.

Further to this, Mr McCabe has calling all organisations attending to ensure that they send these case studies to Mr Norris.