Policing Minister Diana Johnson said: “In the last year of the previous Government, shop theft reached a record high, with devastating consequences for our high streets and town centres. The Conservative Party wrote that off as low-level crime, but the Labour Government are determined to take back our streets from thugs and thieves. That is why we are ending the effective immunity for shop theft of goods under £200, introducing a new offence of assaulting a shop worker and delivering 13,000 new neighbourhood police officers and police community support officers in communities across the country.
“Alongside the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers and the Co-op, who have long campaigned for stronger protections for retail workers, we are bringing in through the Crime and Policing Bill a new offence of assaulting a retail worker, to protect those hard-working and dedicated staff who work in stores, and to send a really strong message that violence against retail workers will not be tolerated.”
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw general secretary says: “It is a sign of the times that retail crime and the impact on retail workers was again discussed at Home Office Question Time in the House of Commons. We are grateful to the Labour MPs who put the issue on the agenda. There is a shoplifting epidemic that has more than doubled since Covid-19 and is still rising, with a 23% increase over the last year. Results from Usdaw’s latest annual survey found that over two-thirds of attacks on retail workers were triggered by theft from shops and armed robbery.
“After 14 years of neglect and repeated refusals to deal with the issue from the last Conservative Government, we are pleased to see that Labour is making this a priority. We welcome that the Crime and Policing Bill was unanimously supported by MPs at second reading. It now has its committee stage and will receive detailed scrutiny. Usdaw will continue to engage with the Government to ensure the legislation delivers the measures our members and all retail workers desperately need. They are clearly saying ‘enough is enough’.”
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
Crime in England and Wales statistics show that in the year to March 2021 (during the pandemic) there were 228,250 police-recorded incidents of shoplifting. That rose by 116% to 492,914 in the latest figures for the year to September 2024. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/policeforceareadatatables
Usdaw’s annual survey of 9,481 retail staff found that in the last twelve months:
- 77% have experienced verbal abuse.
- 53% were threatened by a customer.
- 10% were assaulted.
Full report: www.usdaw.org.uk/FFFReport2024
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
For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Bluesky @usdawunion.bsky.social and Twitter/X @UsdawUnion