Retail trade union Usdaw has today (23 March) condemned the Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, for her comments on Times Radio last week, where she suggested staff and customers should confront a shoplifter if they weren’t “too big”.
In the interview, she said: “I know that there’s now a tendency for people not to put themselves in harm’s way, but I also think that sometimes we need to send a message that this is not acceptable.”
Usdaw’s latest survey of nearly 9,000 UK retail workers found that four in five had been assaulted, threatened or abused, with 68% saying that they had suffered an incident triggered by shop theft or an armed robbery.
“We utterly condemn the Conservative ‘have a go if you think you’re big enough’ policy.”
In response to Badenoch’s comments, Joanne Thomas (below left), Usdaw’s general secretary, said: “Usdaw and retail employers are absolutely clear that staff are far more valuable than stock and our clear advice to retail workers is not to put yourself in danger. So, we utterly condemn the Conservative ‘have a go if you think you’re big enough’ policy.
“That is a totally irresponsible position and perhaps gives us a little insight into the Tory Government’s 14 years of failure on crime and policing. They drastically cut police numbers and effectively decriminalised shoplifting with the ineffective use of Fixed Penalty Notices for thefts valued under £200.
”Tory ministers and MPs repeatedly voted down Labour’s attempts to change the law to protect retail workers, and their dither and delay exposed thousands to assault, threats and abuse.
“In contrast, we now have Labour’s Crime & Policing Bill, which includes a much-needed protection of shop workers’ law, ends the indefensible £200 threshold for prosecuting shoplifters and introduces Respect Orders for offenders.
“The Government is determined to drive down retail crime by working in close partnership with the police and the retail sector to take the actions that will make the most difference. Their police reforms are moving national responsibilities away from local forces, so they focus on tackling local issues.
“After many years of campaigning, alongside retail employers, it really now feels like the Government is listening and taking action to give all retail workers across the UK the protections and respect they deserve.”
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