‘Absolutely unacceptable’

Newly appointed Chief Constable Jo Shiner said it was ‘absolutely unacceptable’ for shop workers to be targeted. She said the increase in reporting of violence suggested people felt more comfortable talking to the police, but also reflected that some ‘think this sort of criminal behaviour is appropriate, and they could not be more wrong’. She added: “During the Covid_19 pandemic, we have seen how intrinsic retail workers are to our way of life: treating them like this is not how we show our thanks, and we are committed to bringing this sort of crime down. No one deserves to go to work in fear of violence.”