Policing Minister Diana Johnson MP has announced a series of measures to address the rising levels of violence, abuse and theft faced by retail workers across the UK.
Johnson reinforced Labour’s approach to stronger protection for retail staff and declared an end to what she called “the era of criminals acting with impunity”.
Speaking at a retail crime summit yesterday hosted by trade union Usdaw, she said: ”There is no place for anyone who abuses shop workers and we are changing the law to come after the perpetrators. We know this is not a quick fix, but the blame for this unacceptable state of affairs falls at the feet of the last Conservative government.
“After more than a decade of Conservative rule, our high streets and town centres have been hollowed out. Ordinary people have lost the trust - abandoned hope - that the police will come when they are called, that the culprit will be caught, that they will see justice.
“The era of criminals acting with impunity, built up through years of Tory rule, is over. This is a government committed to our mission for safer streets, for safer communities and for a safer Britain, and we have a plan to get there.”
The summit was attended by Co-op Retail, British Retail Consortium, Association of Convenience Stores, Co-op Party and a wide range of retailers.
The minister outlined new action by Labour in government to tackle the wave of violence on shop workers, including:
A reversal of the Conservatives’ shoplifters’ charter: a category of ‘low-value shop theft’ to describe the theft of goods worth under £200, meaning the police would not routinely investigate crimes below this threshold.
Millions of pounds of new money to tackle retail crime: new money, announced in the Budget, to be invested in prevention, and training the police and retailers on specific retail-crime tactics to stop crime before it happens. An extra £5 million will be invested over three years to crack down on organised shop theft gangs. An additional £2 million over three years will also be spent in the National Business Crime Centre, providing a vital resource for both police and businesses to learn, share and support each other to prevent and combat crime.
Tougher action against criminals that assault retail workers: Labour will legislate for assaults against retail workers with a new stand-alone offence. The change is supported by Usdaw union through its ‘Freedom From Fear’ campaign.
13,000 additional neighbourhood police and PCSOs back on the street and a neighbourhood policing guarantee: to reverse the collapse in the number of bobbies on the beat under the Tories, the Labour Government will put policing back into town centres, high streets and communities. It will restore guaranteed patrols in retail crime hotspots and mean shopkeepers and retail staff have a named officer to turn to when nuisance comes calling.
Usdaw welcomed the minister’s speech and said it is delighted to now have a Labour Government that has already included key measures in their legislative programme.
Paddy Lillis Usdaw general secretary said: ”We now look forward to a much-needed protection of shop workers’ law; ending the indefensible £200 threshold for prosecuting shoplifters, which has effectively become an open invitation to retail criminals; and funding for more uniformed officer patrols in shopping areas. It is our hope that these new measures will help give shop workers the respect they deserve.”
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