The call comes after an epidemic of retail crime, with the latest recorded crime statistics from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) showing that shoplifting had more than doubled since the pandemic. Usdaw and the NIRC are seeking Stormont support for a Scottish-style protection of shop workers’ law, which the new Labour Government in Westminster included in last week’s King’s Speech, although that will only apply in England and Wales.
Usdaw’s latest annual survey of over 5,500 retail staff across the UK showed that 18% of shop workers suffered a violent attack last year, compared to 8% in 2022. Six in 10 respondents said that incidents of violence, threats and abuse they’d experienced were triggered by shoplifting or armed robbery. The British Retail Consortium’s Crime Survey reports similar results, despite record spending on crime prevention by retailers.
Paddy Lillis, Usdaw General Secretary says: “It is deeply disturbing for our members to see a doubling in theft from shops. Shoplifting has long been a major flashpoint for violence and abuse against shop workers. The case for a separate criminal offence for abusing or assaulting a retail worker is clear, with Usdaw’s survey showing that physical assaults are at an all-time high. We fear retail crime is in danger of becoming normalised if action is not taken.
“A separate criminal offence will ensure greater visibility and awareness of the scale of the problem, prioritisation and resourcing from the police, certainty from courts and will send a clear message to members of the public that abuse and attacks against retail workers are wholly unacceptable. It will also allow the tracking of the data around cases as they progress through the criminal justice system.
“Retail workers in Scotland already have the protection of a separate, standalone criminal offence and now retail workers in England and Wales are set to have similar protections. Like the NIRC, we believe that there is a real danger that retail workers in Northern Ireland will get left behind. Together we strongly urge that legislation is introduced as soon as possible. When the retail trade union and retail employers come together, it should be time for politicians to sit up and listen.”
Neil Johnston – Director – Northern Ireland Retail Consortium says: “It is imperative that the Minister for Justice, her colleagues on the Executive and indeed all members of the Assembly pause for a moment and consider the scale of the problem of assault on retail workers. Then they must act to legislate in a manner similar to the rest of the country. Our workers deserve the same protection as their colleagues in GB.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 360,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades
www.usdaw.org.uk
Northern Ireland Retail Consortium is a trade association for all Northern Ireland's retailers, promoting the story of retail, shaping debates and influencing the issues that matter to the industry
https://brc.org.uk/nirc/
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) - Recorded Crime Statistics:
https://www.psni.police.uk/system/files/2024-06/1941254313/Police%20Recorded%20Crime%20Bulletin%20Period%20Ending%2031%20May%202024.pdf
Usdaw’s Freedom From Fear campaign seeks to prevent violence, threats and abuse against workers by engaging the public, shop workers and the Government.
www.usdaw.org.uk/Campaigns/Freedom-From-Fear
Usdaw annual Freedom From Fear survey report: www.usdaw.org.uk/FFFReport2023
Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act 2021: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2021/6
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter/X
@UsdawUnion