Delivery companies need to put measures in place to protect their drivers after a spate of attacks, according to the family of a courier who was murdered whilst on the job. Christopher El Gifari was jailed for life for the murder of Mark Lang last year. El Gifari stole Lang’s parcel delivery van, ran him over and dragged him half a mile down a busy road, leaving him with such severe injuries that he died 18 days later. Lang’s daughters, Cara and Elena, are calling for better safety measures to be put in place for delivery drivers, and are urging delivery companies to ease the pressure on drivers and provide better safety training.
In a report from the National Police Chief’s Council, Deputy Chief Constable Jayne Meir warned that there has been a rise in opportunistic attacks against delivery drivers, and that the cost of living crisis is seeing delivery drivers targeted as an “easy opportunity” by criminals. Meir urged employers to do more to protect their staff whilst in the line of duty, noting that there’s a limit to the amount of protection the police can offer.
Delivery firms insist that staff safety is taken very seriously, however, Unite has accused companies of “putting profits above lives.” Some drivers working for delivery firms such as Parcelforce and UPS, as well as for companies like Amazon and Evri, which use self-employed contractors that handle their own vehicles to deliver parcels, have suggested that there is simply too much pressure on delivery drivers. They suggest that this pressure can lead drivers to take risks that can then result in their becoming targets for criminals.
Unite has called for delivery companies to address these issues and prevent their drivers from being forced to take such risks. It has suggested that putting two drivers in one van in more dangerous areas could help to mitigate the risks. While delivery firms such Amazon and UPS suggest that staff safety training is mandatory, Yodel has refused to comment, and the BBC has had no response from DPD, Evri or Royal Mail
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