Convenience store owners must report crime and abuse says grocers’ federation
A retail group is calling on shopkeepers and their staff to record and report crime, violence and abuse ahead of new laws coming into force in Scotland.
Thescottishgrocers’federation(sgf),thetradeassociation body representing Scotland’s conveniencestoresector,made the call in light of the Protection of Workers (Scotland) Act, which defines assault, abuse or threatstoretailstaffascriminal offences.
The SGF campaign ‘Don’t Put Up With It’ is looking to alert convenience store staff and owners in Scotland to the importance of recording and reporting instances of retail crime, abuse or violence experienced in their workplaces.
Mohammedrajak,whoowns Buywell Daytoday in the east end of Glasgow, said: "I've had everything from stabbings, to attempted slashings, to breakins and thefts. It's just another day in the life of a shopkeeper.”
The retailer, who has been in the business for 30 years, was once stabbed while closing his shoponenightinthemid1990s.
“There was a crowd of youths walkingbyandigotattackedby them. It was more than a handful of suspects who attacked me and when I got inside, I realised that there was something wrongbecausemyshoewasfull of blood. I realised that I’d been stabbedinmylegandwastaken to hospital.”
Mr Rajak later found out that he had been attacked with a machete, yet the sole criminal responsibleforthecrimecould notbeidentifiedandnoonewas charged for the act.
He added: “The bill needs to be widely promoted in various forms to make sure that this zero tolerance approach is actually adopted. It's not fair to shopkeepers or their workers who have to go through this every day or every week.”
Shahid Ali is the Director of Nisa Local stores in Aberdeen and has also experienced considerable theft and crime in his time as a shop owner, but said this has worsened during the pandemic for convenience stores like his own.
Hesaid:"whatwe'renowseeing in the last year is that criminals can't go into a large clothes shop and steal things, because they are all closed. The only shops left are food shops, but supermarkets can afford lots of staffaswellassecurity,sosmall, local shops seem to be getting the brunt of it.”
"The new bill is a massive step forward,” said Dr John Lee, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at SGF. “It’s the first time we've ever had legislation that’s specifically focused on retail crime, so that in itself is a big step forward. However, for it to work retailers have got to report crimes. We want and need to motivate andencouragepeopletoreport crime because otherwise the scope and scale of the problem won't be understood and appreciated fully by the police or by the government. Unless we start seeing data coming through about the scope and scale of it, the problem will be continue to be hidden away.”
The bill, spearheaded by MSP Daniel Johnson, was passed in January with allparty support, despite the government initially arguing that its provisions were already covered by existing criminal laws.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service told MSPS that further legislation was not needed, noting that "violence, threatsandabuseagainstretail workers, or indeed any other person, are prosecuted every day in Scotland.”