Assaulting a shopworker will be a separate criminal offence in England and Wales as part of the government’s clampdown on the surge in shoplifting.
The move to create the new offence follows longstanding campaigning on this issue from Matt Vickers MP, and some of the biggest retailers, calling for more action to better protect their staff.
Perpetrators could be sent to prison for up to six months, receive an unlimited fine and be banned from going back to the shop where they committed their crimes, with Criminal Behaviour Orders barring them visiting specific premises. Breaching an order is also a criminal offence and carries a five-year maximum prison sentence. For the most serious cases of assault, such as causing grievous bodily harm with intent, offenders could face a life sentence.
Sharon White, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, said: “We’ve long called for violence towards retail workers to be recognised as a standalone offence so welcome this announcement, which sends a clear message that abuse will never be tolerated. It will help deter acts of aggression, and allow police to drive prosecutions should instances escalate.”
The news has been welcomed by Retail Trust’s ceo Chris Brook-Carter, who commented: “Retail Trust has been calling for Government to make assaults on shop workers a standalone criminal offence for some time (like it is in Scotland). Our data shows almost half of retail workers feel unsafe at work, with 90% having experienced physical or verbal abuse from customers. Shockingly, 41% of retail workers say this happens weekly, which is up from 34% previously, so today’s news is certainly a step in the right direction.”
Retail Trust’s purpose is to provide hope, health and happiness for everyone in retail. So, are the new steps enough? According to Chris, the simple answer is, on its own, probably not, “which is why there needs to be a cross industry and society push to face into this worrying trend. We still encourage retail workers experiencing abuse to report it to their managers. Retailers themselves need to ensure they have the right support for their colleagues and systems and policies in place to record and report to the police. And our police forces must prioritise dealing with these crimes.”
