Police officers detain a man in London (Image: Getty)
New laws will fail to protect all shop workers from record levels of theft and violence according to retailers, as a shocking new survey found one in four customers have personally witnessed shoplifting. Polling found 24% of the UK population have seen thefts taking place over the past 12 months, the equivalent of 16 million, while 23% have witnessed the physical or verbal abuse of shop staff. This can include racial or sexual abuse, physical assault or threats with weapons.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC), which represents high street chains and thousands of local stores, has welcomed measures in the Government’s Crime and Policing Bill which create a new offence of assaulting people working inside shops. However, the BRC said the legislation needed to go further to cover everyone employed in the retail sector including delivery drivers, who are a frequent target for violence and threats.
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Helen Dickinson, BRC Chief Executive, said: “The Crime and Policing Bill is a crucial step in providing additional protections to retail workers. However, in its current proposed form, it does not afford all retail workers the same protections as those working in Scotland, where delivery drivers are also protected. The Bill must protect everyone in customer facing roles in the industry.”
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She said: “Seeing incidents of theft or abuse has become an all-too-common part of the shopping experience for many people. While an incident can be over in a matter of seconds, it can have life-long consequences on those who experience it, making them think twice about visiting their local high streets.
“Criminals are becoming bolder and more aggressive, and decisive action is needed to put an end to it.”
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It comes as the UK experiences record levels of retail crime, with 20 million incidents of theft last year and incidents of violence and abuse climbing to over 2,000 per day. Crime cost retailers an eye-watering ￡4.2bn last year, with much of the cost passed on to customers through higher prices. It includes ￡2.2bn directly from shoplifting and ￡1.8bn spent on crime prevention measures such as CCTV, more security personnel, anti-theft devices and body worn cameras.
The shoplifting epidemic is driven by organised criminal gangs see shops as a lucrative and soft target. Police and Crime Commissioners revealed that just 49 of the nation’s worst shoplifters cost shops ￡3.4 million.
has produced its own survey showing 77% of retail staff experienced abuse while 10% were victims of assault.
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Paddy Lillis, general secretary, said: “Usdaw continues to engage with Government on the Bill to ensure it offers the best possible protections for retail workers. While the Bill clearly protects retail workers working in store, we are concerned that it does not cover supermarket home delivery drivers, who are required to conduct age verification checks before the delivery can be made. This can be a real flashpoint for abuse, threats and violence and they deserve the same protection that their in-store colleagues will have.
“The scale of the epidemic of retail crime has a very direct impact on the viability of businesses, as retailers go to increasing lengths and expense to make their stores secure and safe. Communities are blighted by anti-social behaviour, high streets are blighted by store closures and staff are working in fear of the next incident of abuse, threats or violence.”
Nottingham was named as the nation’s shoplifting hotspot in a survey conducted for the BRC by Opinium, which found 32% of people in the city had witnessed shoplifting in the past 12 months. London followed close behind at 29%, followed by Southampton, where 28% said they had seen an incident,