Local shops call for urgent action on violence and abuse 

This Sunday (28 June) marks one year since the Home Office closed their consultation on violence and abuse against shopworkers. The consultation page on the Home Office website states that the government is still ‘analysing feedback’.

However, since then – using data from the Home Office’s Commercial Victimisation Survey – ACS estimates that there have been more than half a million incidents of verbal abuse, threats and physical violence suffered by people working in the retail and wholesale sector.

ACS chief executive, James Lowman, said: “Retailers and their colleagues working in shops have been on the front line throughout this pandemic. Despite keeping their communities fed and connected, people working in convenience stores have still been subject to a significant amount of unwarranted and unacceptable abuse. It remains the case that the justice system is not doing enough to tackle the cycle of repeat offending, and retailers lack confidence in the police’s ability to deal with crimes committed against their business. We’re once again sending a clear message to the government that action is needed to support our members and the 405,000 colleagues that they employ.”

Figures from ACS’ Covid-19 Impact Survey, released last month, show that 40% of convenience retailers have seen an increase of violence and abuse from customers in their stores since the start of lockdown. Many shopworkers have also faced Covid-19 related threats, such as coughing and spitting.