Retailers in England and Wales will see stronger legal protections against in-store violence after the Crime and Policing Act 2026 introduced a specific offence of assaulting a retail worker, marking a significant shift in how retail crime is treated by the justice system.
The Act, which received Royal Assent on Wednesday (29 April), creates a standalone offence targeting assaults on shopworkers, with offenders facing potential custodial sentences. The move has been widely welcomed by the retail sector, which has long argued that violence and abuse against staff has been under-recognised and insufficiently penalised.
The legislation forms part of a broader government push to crack down on crime and antisocial behaviour, while restoring confidence in policing. Alongside the new offence, it removes the £200 threshold that had previously downgraded some shop theft offences, a change expected to strengthen police response to retail crime.
Among the retailers backing the legislation, the Co-op said the new offence would help protect staff who “work hard, day-in, day-out” in local communities, noting that at its peak, three to four colleagues were being attacked or assaulted in its stores every day.
The retailer also welcomed the removal of the £200 threshold for shop theft, saying it sends a “loud and clear message” that all crime, including so-called low-level offences, is unacceptable.
“Shopworkers have had to tolerate unacceptable levels of theft, abuse and violence for far too long, and it’s not right,” Paul Gerrard, director of campaigns, public affairs and policy at Co-op, said.
“The tide of criminality can be turned, we saw crime levels reducing in the Co-op by more than 20 per cent in 2025. But this is just the start. This landmark Bill has the power to drive further sustained change, and we all must seize this opportunity and continue to work together and do all we can to protect local community stores, and those that work in them.”
The Act also introduces new police powers, including the ability to enter premises without a warrant to recover stolen goods tracked via GPS, and expanded access to vehicle licensing data to help identify suspects.
The Federation of Independent Retailers said the legislation reflects years of sustained lobbying. Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show there were more than 509,000 recorded shoplifting offences in the year to December 2025, underlining the scale of the issue facing the sector.
National president Hetal Patel described the introduction of a standalone offence for assaulting shopworkers as “welcome and long overdue”, highlighting both the personal and financial toll of retail crime.
Patel also pointed to the need for stronger on-the-ground enforcement, calling for greater community policing presence to ensure offences are taken seriously and deterred effectively.
“For too long, there has been a lack of police presence in communities, giving thieves and those who indulge in anti-social behaviour carte blanche to carry on unpunished,” he noted. “Therefore, the government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee to deliver an additional 13,000 neighbourhood officers by the end of this parliament is another positive step.”
Beyond retail-specific measures, the Act includes a wide-ranging package aimed at tackling serious violence, antisocial behaviour and crimes against women and girls, as well as strengthening police powers and improving accountability across the criminal justice system.
A similar measure was introduced in Scotland under the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) Act 2021, which made it a specific offence to assault, threaten or abuse retail staff.