Give those working in retail stores, and delivery drivers, the gift of a safe Christmas free from violence and abuse, the shop workers trade union Usdaw, the trade association British Retail Consortium (BRC) and its retail members are urging.
Paddy Lillis, General Secretary of Usdaw, said: โRetail staff working in stores and delivering to customers deserve far more respect than they receive. It is shocking that over two-thirds are suffering abuse from customers, with far too many experiencing threats and violence. Seven in ten of these incidents were triggered by theft from shops, which is clearly the result of a significant increase in police recorded shoplifting.
โUsdaw activists are campaigning in their workplaces and communities calling on the shopping public to โrespect shop workersโ and โkeep your coolโ, particularly in the runup to Christmas when the number of incidents increases as shops get busy and customers become frustrated. This is a hugely important issue for our members, and they are saying loud and clear that enough is enough.โ
The union runs a ‘Freedom from Fear‘ campaign, that seeks to prevent violence, threats and abuse against shop workers. Usdaw welcomed a recent House of Lords debate on retail crime, initiated by the unionโs former general secretary, now Lord Hannett.
Usdaw and retailers are calling on the Government to see that a stand-alone offence for assaulting, threatening, or abusing a retail worker is introduced as quickly as possible, as mentioned by the new Labour Government from the King’s Speech in the summer onwards; and as already made law in Scotland.
Fraud alert
Meanwhile the police reporting line Action Fraud is asking that shoppers online stay alert to fraudsters taking advantage of the time of year. Adam Mercer, Deputy Head of Action Fraud, said: โCriminals donโt stop for Christmas and will continue to operate, targeting busy people who are preparing for the festive season this year. Weโre launching the 12 frauds of Christmas campaign this year to highlight some of the fraud types to look out for during the festive season. Everyone celebrating should stay vigilant, as fraudsters will use the busy period to catch people out.
โMake sure you follow our advice this Christmas and protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or cybercrime.โ
Those ’12 frauds of Christmas’ are: Phishing, Pet fraud, Online shopping fraud, Social media and email account hacking, courier fraud, romance fraud, gift card fraud, Charity fraud, Investment fraud, QR code fraud, holiday fraud and (concert) ticket fraud.
Safe online
Get Safe Online is partnering with North Wales Police for example on a safe Christmas online. Tony Neate, CEO at Get Safe Online comments: โDonโt give a cyber criminal a happy New Year. Read our simple, easy-to-follow advice on protecting yourself, your family, finances and devices online to have a safe, secure and confident experience this Christmas. Our tips are easy and could make the difference between being safe, or not, online this December.โ
Visit www.getsafeonline.org. Among the advice; think twice about use of Wi-Fi hotspots in cafรฉs, pubs, hotels, on public transport and other public places for anything confidential as they could be insecure, or fraudulent. And if personal purchases and gifts from others are due to arrive by courier or in the post, a scam could be a text or email telling you thereโs a delivery or re-delivery fee. If in doubt, call the courier or retailer on the number you know to be correct to check its authenticity.
Detective Constable Roheryn Evans from North Wales Policeโs Cyber Crime Team added: โChristmas and New Year are full of festive cheer for fraudsters and online criminals, who will look to exploit those who are searching for last minute deals online, by making the deal look fantastic. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.โ
โA large proportion of scams take place on social media. Itโs likely that some of your friends or family will have their account hacked. From here, scammers will use their identify to make it look like your friend is selling items. Whenever you buy things on social media, donโt pay until theyโve handed over the goods, or youโve double checked by calling them that the advert is genuine. Donโt forget, always do your checks to make sure youโre buying from a reputable business or seller and that your payment method has protection.โ
London vigilant
And in London, the Metropolitan Policeโs Counter Terrorism officers are reminding Londoners to trust their instincts and report anything that doesnโt feel right when they are out and about; such as at Christmas markets or football matches. Chief Supt Kris Wright, head of Protective Security Operations for the Met said: โAt this time of year, we naturally see more people heading out and about to enjoy the festive period. We want people to enjoy themselves, but also to stay safe, so we are asking the public to report anything that doesnโt look or feel right to us.
โThe power of public reporting should not be underestimated. It is never a waste of time to speak to us, or submit an online report. Sadly, the threat from terrorism is a real one, so it is vital that we have the support of the public, which helps our own operations and activity to keep everyone safe.
โSince 2017, we, along with our partners have disrupted over 40 terrorist plots. That is down to many dedicated, specialist officers and staff, but also due to the public helping us in that crucial work.โ
The Met recently ran major incident training exercises at Brentford and Millwall Football Clubs as part of its work to test responses to a terrorism attack.
Photo by Mark Rowe: street art, Leicester city centre.
