Pandemic sees rise in violence towards shop workers

A YORKSHIRE shopper threatened to cough on Co-op workers because the supermarket did not have an item in stock that they wanted.

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, supermarket chain Co-op has revealed that there has been a rise in violent offences towards staff with 10 incidents in stores in West and South Yorkshire over the past four weeks.

Although Co-op, like all other supermarkets, has pleaded with customers to show respect, some have not heeded that advice and as well as verbal abuse, staff have been threatened with physical abuse in stores in Yorkshire, according to the popular supermarket.

A spokesman for Co-op said: “I can confirm we have had cases of this kind of abuse in across the Yorkshire area in the past four weeks. Incidents have jumped by 50 per cent from five to 10.

“The incidents so far have involved verbal comments from customers following the inability to find certain items of stock or being forced to wait.

“One occasion saw a customer suggest that they should ‘cough’ on colleagues because they did not have what they wanted.”

Co-op, which has over 260 food stores and petrol stations across 16 counties, described the abuse seen in Yorkshire and other stores nationwide as ‘totally unacceptable’.

Central England Co-op chief executive, Debbie Robinson, said: “Throughout these uncertain times our colleagues have been and are continuing to do everything they can to ensure our community stores have enough food and essential items for everyone.

“On the whole, our members and customers have been supportive and showed our frontline heroes care, compassion and respect.

“However, as the figures released show, we have a minority who ignore these pleas and treat our hardworking teams in a totally unacceptable manner.

“Today we again ask for people to be kind and respectful to those working in our stores and to understand the changes we have had to put in place are to keep our colleagues and our communities safe and healthy.

“For anyone who does not support us, we will continue to work closely with local police forces to showcase that we have a zero tolerance approach to any violent or threatening behaviour towards our colleagues.

“I am a strong campaigner for shop workers to be treated as public servants in the eyes of the law, in cases where they suffer violence or risk from the public.

“I would hope their status in society will now be permanently elevated and I am redoubling my efforts in lobbying for a change in sentencing law to ensure those who choose to attack our colleagues are held accountable for their actions on the same level as other frontline workers.”