Tesco, Co-op and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has welcomed the government’s commitment to tackling retail crime, as it was announced that attacking or abusing a shopworker will be made a standalone offence in the King’s Speech today.
Co-op labelled the bill a “crowning moment” for store staff and said it marked a positive shift in tackling repeat and prolific offenders amid the surge in violence towards retail workers.
The convenience retailer recorded more than 172,000 incidents of retail crime in the first half of 2024, and while the rate of increase has slowed, this figure still marks a 4% rise on last year’s levels of crime and a 42% increase since 2022.
Co-op director of campaign and public affairs Paul Gerrard said: “Today’s news marks a seismic shift in the crackdown on retail crime, and will send a clear and powerful message to those who think it is acceptable to attack, assault or abuse shopworkers that, put quite simply, the law does not accept this behaviour and, it will now make it easier and much more straightforward for the authorities to investigate and prosecute – which means all shopworkers will be safer.”
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Tesco chief executive Ken Murphy also welcomed the early commitment from the government to protect shop workers and said: “Retail colleagues are the backbone of the everyday economy and they deserve to feel safe at work.
“It is right that the Government, police and business come together to collectively send the strongest signal that these crimes will not be tolerated.”
Murphy told The Times last week that Tesco was spending tens of millions of pounds on “necessary measures”, such as security officers, body-worn cameras, protective screens and door entry systems, but warned “they are still not enough”.
The government’s new Crime and Policing Bill also includes plans to introduce stronger measures to tackle low level shoplifting.
BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “The government must ensure this bill protects all those in customer-facing roles, from delivery drivers to till staff, particularly as more risk violence or abuse as they enforce new age restrictions on tobacco products.
“We also welcome the bill’s introduction of stronger measures to tackle shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. This is a timely intervention at a time when retail crime is costing retailers and their customers £3.3 billion a year.”
Elsewhere, the government will introduce an Employment Rights Bill, which will ban the “exploitative” use of zero-hours contracts and introduce various new workers’ rights promised ahead of the election including scrapping qualifying periods for full employment rights, and giving staff the right to claim unfair dismissal after day one of a new job.
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