The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act doubles the maximum penalty from 12 months to two years’ imprisonment for individuals who assault emergency services workers, prison officers, healthcare staff and other frontline workers including retail employees.

The new penalties took effect as the Institute of Customer Service (ICS), which represents organisations with customer-facing staff, published research finding 44% of frontline service staff had experienced hostility from customers in the past six months, up from 35% in February.

Its poll of more than 1,300 customer-facing staff found 35% felt customers’ behaviour and tone had become more aggressive over the past six months. Twenty-five per cent felt that heightened anxiety and hostility among customers had been driven by price increases specifically.

The Fed (Federation of Independent Retailers) has welcomed the new law. Common assault against anyone working in a retail store will now be classed as an aggravated offence, carrying tougher penalties.

The Fed’s National President Jason Birks said: “Attacks against store owners and their staff have been increasing for a number of years, so I am pleased that we are now being given the same protection in law as other frontline workers.

“Being attacked verbally or physically while just going about your daily business should not be tolerated and seen as part of the job.

“The important thing now is that the police and the Crown Prosecution Service work together to ensure this new law is an effective deterrent and not just a piece of paper.

“It’s essential that retailers report all incidents to highlight the scale of the problem, and the police response has to improve if retail crime is to be tackled head on.”

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The Fed National President Narinder Randhawa said: “Everyone involved in retailing deserves to work in an environment that is safe.  Sadly, the reality is that theft, vandalism, and physical and verbal attacks are all too familiar for many NFRN members.

“For some considerable time, the Fed has been calling for the government to get tough on those who assault retail workers.  The fact that MPs have now passed an amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill that will make it an offence to assault anyone providing a public duty is very good news indeed.”

Besides calling on the government to take a tougher stance against people abusing shop staff, the Fed has been meeting police and crime commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales to encourage them to include tackling retail crime in their statutory crime plans.

During the debate in the House of Commons, the Conservative MP for Stockton South, Matt Vickers, said: “Health and social care workers, transport workers and retail workers are owed a huge debt of gratitude, but not everyone in our society has shown them that gratitude.

“As chair of the all-party parliamentary group on the future of retail, I hear the horrific and increasing abuse suffered by retail workers in town centres and shopping parades across the country. Last year, there were 455 assaults on retail workers—not every month, not every week, but every single day.

“The youngster with their first job stacking shelves and the semi-retired person with an extra part-time job on the tills to top up their income to buy their grandkids something nice for Christmas: these are normal people just doing their job. They are often not well paid, they do not have stab-proof vests or body-worn cameras, and every day they have to return to the scene of the crime.”

Justice minister Tom Pursglove said the move would “send a strong message that assaults against public-facing workers are totally unacceptable and will reinforce the seriousness with which the courts treat such offences”.

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At a meeting of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on retail crime, held on Tuesday, February 22, West Midlands assistant PCC Tom McNeil said the initiative was preventing repeat offences at source and has saved around £2m in terms of thefts in the last six months.

He said: “The scheme is a partnership between the police, rehabilitation centres and retailers who have all invested time and money to tackle the issues of persistent offenders to help them change their chaotic lifestyles and turn their lives around.

“It’s not about being soft, the process is still about justice and safety of the public first. But it’s also about taking a multi-faceted approach so that repeat offenders can get the help they need to change their ways, rather than being passed around from one organisation to another.

“We are really proud of the work we are doing and we think it’s made a real dent in the issue of retail crime and crime in general.”

The Fed, which represents around 11,000 independent retailers in the UK and Ireland, is the secretariat for the APPG and has consistently lobbied government ministers and MPs to clamp down on retail crime.

The Fed’s National President Narinder Randhawa, whose business is based in the West Midlands, said: “Retail crime, whether it is shop thefts or attacks on shopworkers, is one of the biggest issues facing our industry, so I am pleased to see the West Midlands PCC and police taking steps to address the problem.

“I hope that other PCCs and forces take note and follow the example set by the West Midlands in a bid to break the cycle of repeat offending.”

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A former police officer who was the victim of an attack in his shop has praised a landmark new law offering shop workers greater protection.

Hussan Lal, 59, was kicked in the chest when he confronted six men barging into his food shop.

At the Scottish Parliament on Monday August 23 he gave thanks to Daniel Johnson, a Labour MSP and former retailer, who brought in a Private Members Bill to offer retailers more protection against crime.

Mr Lal, representing the Federation of Independent Retailers (NFRN), also paid tribute to other parties including Ash Denham, Minister for Community Safety in the Scottish Government, who agreed to turn the bill into a law which comes into force on August 24.

Violence and abuse

The new legislation takes effect at a time when research from the British Retail Consortium revealed that in 2020, there were 424 incidents of violence and abuse

every day. Meanwhile, an Usdaw survey found that in 2020 and out of 2,729 shopworkers surveyed, 88 per cent had experienced verbal abuse, 60 per cent had been threatened by customers and 8 per cent were assaulted.

Mr Lal said: “I was proud to serve Queen and country before moving into retail. But it is not easy. Instead of charging people I am attacked and many other retailers are too. It is horrendous.

“We are grateful to Mr Johnson and other parties including Ash Denham, the Minister for Community Safety, for making this new law come about. We now have something to charge culprits with.

“But we now need the police to enforce it. I don’t criticise the police because I know where they’re coming from . I know what limited resources they have and the wide range of duties they now have. However their first duty is to protect the public.

Assaults

“I had to ask six men to leave when they barged into my shop in breach of the rules that face coverings should be worn and no more than two people can be inside at a

time. It was six people against one. As I was phoning the police one was kicking me in the chest. I didn’t know where it would end – if one of them would pull a knife.

“Police need to send someone out promptly otherwise retailers don’t feel protected and criminals are encouraged to attack again. We are assaulted and racially abused.

“We need the police and public to understand that these incidents are not minor and covid is not the main cause. Aggression predates this.”

Protection of Workers Act

Mr Lal, immediate past Scottish President in the NFRN, now runs St Mirren Food Store in Love St, Paisley.

The Protection of Workers Act aims to give greater protection to retail workers, who may be assaulted or robbed and often face aggression when they uphold the law on what time they can sell alcohol and to which age group they can sell alcohol and cigarettes. It is now a specific criminal offence to assault, threaten, abuse or obstruct them.

Mr Lal was an officer in the West Midlands Police Force for 25 years.

Daniel Johnson said: “I’m delighted to see my Protection of Workers Act come into law on Tuesday. It represents a victory for retail, its staff and customers.

“Throughout this process I heard many horrific stories of abuse and spoke with many workers on the front line every day.

“This Bill will ensure retail workers have the same protections as those in every other sector and enables the police to properly act.

“I will continue the fight to ensure my Bill is properly enforced and would like to take the opportunity to thank the Federation of Independent retailers (NFRN) and all other stakeholders and retail staff for working with me from the very beginning of this process.”

Legal protection

The NFRN will continue to campaign for effective legal protection for shop workers across the rest of the UK in the face of rising levels of abuse and violence.

NFRN National President Stuart Reddish said: “I get calls from hundreds of retailers who are crime victims. The impact of retail crime can be devastating and long[1]lasting – not just in terms of physical injuries but on anxiety and stress too. The government has to act and tackle retail crime once and for all so everyone working in shops have confidence in their workplace and that should a crime incident occur they will receive the response and protection from the government, police and justice system that they deserve.”

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