Despite retailers investing huge sums in crime prevention, violence and abuse against retail workers is climbing, according to Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium. She was speaking as the trade body released its annual crime survey.
It sets out violence and abuse faced by people working in retail. Incidents, which include racial abuse, sexual harassment, physical assault, and threats with weapons, are now on a par with the levels seen during the pandemic, when staff bore the brunt of some people’s frustration with covid distancing and restrictions, according to the survey. Most, 61 per cent of retailers rate police response as poor or very poor; the survey came before the Retail Crime Action Plan published in autumn 2023; which coincided with the business and police partnership scheme Pegasus, as featured in the December print edition of Professional Security Magazine.
Helen Dickinson said: “With over 1,300 incidents every day, government can no longer ignore the plight of ordinary, hardworking retail colleagues. Teenagers taking on their first job, carers looking for part-time work, parents working around childcare. And while the violence can be over in a moment, the victims carry these experiences with them for a lifetime. And we all know the impact does not stop there – it affects their colleagues, friends, and the family our colleagues go home to. This is a crisis that demands action now.
“Criminals are being given a free pass to steal goods and to abuse and assault retail colleagues. No one should have to go to work fearing for their safety. The Protection of Workers Act in Scotland already provides additional protection to retail workers, so why should our hardworking colleagues south of the border be offered less protection? It is vital that government takes action – introducing a new standalone offence for assaulting or abusing a retail worker.”
Comment
Jason Towse, Managing Director, Business Services at the FM and security contractor Mitie, pictured, said: “The new figures show there are now 1,300 violent and abusive incidents against shopworkers per day up from 837 in the previous year. Over the course of the year that is 475,000 people who have faced physical or psychological harm just by going to work. This is beyond unacceptable. Nobody should be faced with violence at work. The proposed amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill to introduce a standalone offence of assaulting, threatening or abusing a retail worker must be supported, a clear signal that violence will not be tolerated.
“Amending the Bill alone is just one element in a package of solutions. With multiple drivers of retail crime, we need a consistent, multilayered approach to stamp it out. Criminals are constantly evolving their techniques and so must the retail industry if it is to gain the edge over offenders.
“Pegasus, a new initiative launched in late 2023, brings together a powerful combination of industry leading technology with highly trained specialists. Through Pegasus, the sharing of anonymised information between 13 retailers including Boots, M&S and Co-op is already starting to build a bigger picture of retail crime across the UK. Crime hotspots and patterns can be mapped, and data can be provided to the police. An organised crime gang can be tracked from Liverpool to Leicester to Llandudno.
“For retailers, the security industry, police and the Government, it’s important that we continue to collaborate to fight retail crime or we will find ourselves looking at a further increase over the next 12 months. We cannot let that happen, our retail workers, and their families, deserve better. Shoplifting is not a victimless crime.”
For the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), the national lead for Business Crime, Sussex Conservative PCC Katy Bourne, described the levels of retail crime described in the report as ‘an unprecedented level of selfish lawlessness’.
For the 23-page survey visit the BRC website.
