Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is today highlighting an enhanced approach to local neighbourhood policing as part of the New Met for London Plan which is being supported with record investment from City Hall. The Met are spearheading targeted work in busy hotspots this Christmas season, such as Westminster, Westfield, Oxford Street, Battersea and major transport hubs.
Sadiq Khan - Mayor of London says: “As the capital’s world-famous Christmas shopping season gets underway, the Met is working with communities and local businesses to make our city safer and bear down on robbery, thefts and retail crime in all its forms. We know how important this golden quarter is for our business sector so I’m really pleased to see the police working effectively to bear down on the worst offenders – many of whom use the busy crowds and festive season as a cover for their crimes.
“As Mayor, I’ll continue to invest in policing, so that local community-based police teams can be there when the public need them most. This is alongside our vital work investing in prevention and intervention at critical stages in the lives of young Londoners so that we can build a safer London for all.”
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw general secretary says: “We very much welcome this crucial intervention from the Mayor of London and the Metropolitan Police, in what is traditionally the busiest trading period of the year. Sadiq Khan’s commitment to bear down on retail crime is timely, amid a nationwide epidemic. Shoplifting has doubled since the pandemic, increasing 29% in the last year.
“When stores are busy, customers can get frustrated with queues and stock quickly disappearing off the shelves; too often that that can turn into anger towards shopworkers. Incidents of violence, threats and abuse against retail staff are already worryingly high. Interim figures from this year’s Usdaw survey reveal that one in seven of our members working in retail suffered abuse from customers, with far too many experiencing threats and violence.
“My Black Friday and Christmas message to shoppers is clear. Enjoy your retail experience, keep your cool and respect shop workers.”
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 there were 228,250 police recorded incidents of shoplifting. That rose by 106% to 469,788 in the latest stats for the year to June 2024. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/policeforceareadatatables
Interim results of Usdaw’s 2024 survey, based on 4,073 responses, show that: 69% were verbally abused, 45% were threatened. 17% of shop workers had been assaulted. Of those who were abused, threatened or assaulted, 70% said that shoplifting was the trigger, and their assessment of the underlying issues was 64% related to a drug and/or alcohol addiction. The final results of the survey will be published in March 2025.
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: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter/X @UsdawUnion