Violence and abuse against shop workers has increased significantly over the past year, with around 1,300 incidents reported daily in the UK, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). That represents a 50% rise on 2022 figures. The BRC criticised the government’s response to the issue as “woefully inadequate” and some business leaders are calling for workplace violence against shop workers to be treated as a separate offence.
Retailers have spent £1.2bn ($1.6bn) on measures to prevent crime, such as security personnel, CCTV and body cameras, but the cost of shoplifting rose to a record £1.8bn in the past year. This marks the first time annual costs passed £1bn. Covid-19 tripled incidents of violence against UK shop workers and the companies surveyed by the BRC reported that theft by customers had risen from eight million incidents to 16.7 million. The rise in cost of living has changed how shoplifters operate, with many taking more goods per theft.
Approximately 8,800 incidents resulted in injury to staff, with incidents ranging from physical assault to racial abuse or harassment with weapons. The BRC said, “No one should have to go to work fearing for their safety. This is a crisis that demands action now.” The government’s Retail Crime Action Plan, launched last year, includes a pledge to prioritise crime scenes where shop workers have faced violence by police.
Chris Philp, Policing Minister, pledged at the launch that the government would adopt a “new zero-tolerance approach to tackling shoplifting”. Over 50 businesses, including John Lewis and the Post Office plus several MPs, signed an open letter organised by the Institute for Customer Service in November that urged the government to ensure such assaults are better recorded by the police
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