The government is calling for evidence to help understand what more can be done to protect shop workers from violence and abuse.
News
Minister for crime pledges retail safety
By
on 01 April 2019
The National Retail Crime Steering Group met on 12 February to take plans forward after Home Office figures showed assaults to retail staff have more than doubled in a year.
Retail workers suffered around 510,000 assaults and threats in 2017, up from 203,000 incidents in 2016.
Minister for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability, Victoria Atkins, said: “I have every sympathy for retail staff who have been the victims of these appalling acts just for doing their jobs.”
The call for evidence is intended to help strengthen the evidence base on how to protect retail workers from abuse, and to look at all options for addressing these crimes.
The Home Office has pledged £50,000 of funding for a sector-led communications campaign to raise awareness of violence in shops.
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The head of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has spoken of her ‘relief’ as violence and abuse against shopworkers fell by 20 per cent in the last year, according to official data.