Labour hands police ‘long-overdue’ violent shoplifting powers
The government has handed the police a set of “long overdue” powers to crack down on soaring levels of violent shoplifting, which has been branded a “national scandal”.
The crime and policing bill was granted royal assent on Wednesday, meaning assault against retail workers is classed as a specific offence, and the effective immunity for shoplifting offences under £200 has been scrapped.
Retail industry bodies have long been campaigning for powers to crack down on violent shoplifting, which they say endangers the lives of staff.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said the new powers are a “long-overdue turning point in the fight against retail crime”.
More than 500,000 shoplifting offences were recorded last year, according to official figures released in response to a parliamentary question by former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith.
The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has found that 67 per cent of offenders now commit another offence within a year, up from 55 per cent before the pandemic.
As many as 1,600 incidents of violence and abuse against shopworkers are recorded every day, according to the BRC, with up to 5.5m thefts each year.
Political pressure on the government to crack down on retail crime ramped up earlier this month after a series of incidents in which mobs of young people stormed shops on Clapham high street.
M&S calls out ‘systemic’ retail crime
The boss of retail giant Marks & Spencer called on the government to urgently crack down on “brazen, organised, aggressive” crime against shopworkers.
The company’s retail director, Thinus Keeve, said: “We need to recognise this for what it is. A systemic issue. A growing issue. And one that demands a co-ordinated response across government, policing and industry.”
Leading supermarket Co-op welcomed the new powers and said it has been campaigning for better protections for retail staff for eight years.
Paul Gerrard, the Co-op’s campaigns director, said: “Shopworkers have had to tolerate unacceptable levels of theft, abuse and violence for far too long, and it’s not right.
“This landmark bill has the power to drive further sustained change, and we all must seize this opportunity and continue to do all we can to protect local community stores, and those that work in them.”
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, responded to the bill passing into law: “The BRC, alongside others, have campaigned relentlessly for these changes.
“Stronger laws on assault and theft will send a clear warning to would-be offenders, but laws alone won’t keep retail workers safe.
“What matters now is consistent, visible police enforcement so colleagues can genuinely feel safe and protected at work.”
The Retail Trust, a charity which represents the industry, welcomed the new powers but said they will “only work” if workers feel empowered to record crimes against them – which it says goes severely underreported.
‘Ridiculous’ £200 threshold scrapped
As many as one in four retail workers decide not to report abuse against them, often deterred by unhelpful responses from their bosses, the Retail Trust said.
Chris Brook-Carter, the charity’s director, said: “Abuse and crime have been having a devastating impact on shop workers’ lives and damaging their confidence, wellbeing and sense of safety long after their shifts have finished.
“They now need to see that when incidents happen, they will be taken seriously, supported afterwards, and not left to deal with the consequences on their own.”
The Federation of Independent Retailers said the removal of the “ridiculous” £200 threshold for serious retail theft is a positive step.
The trade body’s president, Hetal Patel, said: “For too long, there has been a lack of police presence in communities, giving thieves and those who indulge in anti-social behaviour carte blanche to carry on unpunished.”