SGF joins National Assault Pledge to reduce violence against front-line workers

The Scottish Grocers Federation has joined emergency services, health colleagues and others this week to launch a National Assault Pledge – underlining a joint commitment to reduce violence and abuse against front-line workers.

The National Assault Pledge builds upon Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone’s Assault Pledge, developed in August 2020 in response to a concerning increase in violence and abuse against Police Scotland officers and staff.

The Pledge was agreed by signatories at an event at Police Scotland Headquarters in Tulliallan on Tuesday (15 November). The national partnership group includes prosecutors, Retailers Against Crime, British Transport Police, NHS Scotland, Scottish Prison Service, Scottish Ambulance Service, and others.

The group will share best practice, develop preventative measures, and use consistent messaging in their workplace to support and encourage staff to report incidents.

SGF’s recent Crime Report 2022 highlights the substantial impact of crime on convenience store owners and staff across Scotland, With 100 per cent of respondents reporting some level of theft, abuse or violence in the previous year.

“Being the victim of an assault can have a long-lasting impact both physically and mentally. It’s not simply part of the job,” Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor, who has been leading Police Scotland’s drive to reduce the impact violence and abuse has on officers and staff, said.

“Working in partnership with a number of key organisations highlights our collective approach and united pledge to reduce assaults at work.”

Pete Cheema, SGF chief executive, added: “Front line staff provide an essential community service, and whether they are police officers, ambulance paramedics or local shop staff, it is completely unacceptable that they are forced to turn up to work and face threating abuse or violence.

“The National Assault Pledge, launched with partners across Scotland, is an important step forward and adds to progress taken last August with the introduction of the Protection of Workers Act.”

“I look forward to continuing to work with our colleagues across emergency and front-line services to keep improving worker safety in Scotland.”

In 2021-22, there were 7,858 common assaults against emergency workers – an increase of 12 per cent compared to the previous year. Over 7,000 of these were against police officers and staff.

Figures collated by Police Scotland reveal the level of recorded retail crime for the year since launch of the Protection of Workers Act 2021, with the total number of reported crimes reaching 3,099, to date. Detection rates remain high at 61.3 per cent, while threatening abuse and assault make up the majority of reported cases, at 1,750 and 1,333 respectively.