Priti: I’ll crackdown on shop staff abuse
PRITI Patel has vowed to tackle the rising abuse and threats towards retail staff following an investigation by this newspaper.
The Home Secretary insisted the Government would take action to protect thousands of shop workers assaulted every day.
She said: “I share the disgust of Daily Express readers that those who have gone the extra mile during this hugely challenging period should find themselves subjected to such despicable attacks.
“My message is clear – individuals responsible for these crimes must be caught and punished.”
A survey by the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) found abuse and threats towards shop employees had doubled during the pandemic, as new Covid-19 measures triggered confrontation with customers.
Tesco is among the major stores to highlight the issue. A spokesman said: “Sadly, there has been an increase in violence and aggression towards our colleagues.
“We do not tolerate abusive behaviour of any kind, and we
fully support USDAW’s call to strengthen the laws protecting retail workers.”
The Association of Convenience Store’s chief executive, James Lowman, also called for urgent action.
He said: “I still feel like we’re still quite a long way from this being taken anywhere near as
seriously as it should be by the Government.”
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, added: “We welcome the Home Secretary’s comments, but it is vital that these words are turned into action.
“The current law does not work effectively and every day criminals
who assault and abuse shopworkers go unpunished.
“The Government must bring forward legislation which will deal with these crimes robustly.”
Ms Patel’s intervention follows action on the issue from crime and policing minister Kit Malthouse.
He told senior police officers to take retail crime more seriously.