More than 100 retail leaders have signed a letter to Police and Crime Commissioners urging them to make retail crime a priority.
In the letter, 106 retailers expressed their increasing concerns about the rising levels of violence, abuse, and anti-social behaviour across their operations, and the emotional impact it can have on victims and their colleagues.
The letter outlines how retailers spent £715m on crime prevention in 2020/21, according to the latest Crime Survey from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) – from hiring in-store security teams, training teams on de-escalation, and investing in CCTV and body worn cameras for staff – but stresses that local police support is vital to protecting retail workers.
The letter calls on Police and Crime Commissioners to:
- Commit to making retail crime a priority in their local policing plan;
- Work with local businesses to investigate ways to make reporting simpler, to help give the police an accurate picture of the problem;
- Push their local force to investigate all reports of violence and abuse against retail workers, ensuring the matter is treated with the seriousness it deserves;
- Monitor how the new sentencing guidelines are used and the impact on violence and abuse against retail workers.
Helen Dickinson OBE, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said:
“I am proud of the incredible work done by our retail colleagues. They were among the ‘hidden heroes’ of the pandemic; working tirelessly to keep the nation fed, clothed and with access to the goods we wanted. But every incident against a retail worker is one too many.
Earlier this year, the UK government introduced an amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act which created tougher sentencing for assaults committed against those “providing a public service or performing a public duty” however Dickinson said it’s only useful if the police act.
“A new law has increased the penalties for assaulting a retail worker, but this will only have an impact if police successfully investigate and prosecute these incidents. This is why we are calling on Police and Crime Commissioners to make retail crime a priority across the board.”
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