Tesco boss introduces body cameras for staff and calls for tougher laws

He noted changes had been made to make attacking a shop worker an aggravating factor in convictions, but wants “abuse or violence towards retail workers” to be made an offence in itself.

Murphy called for the change to bring England and Wales in line with Scotland, where the Protection of Worker’s Bill makes it an offence to assault, threaten or abuse retail staff.

He also called for the supermarket to have the right to be kept informed about how a case proceeds.

“Crime is a scourge on society, and an insult to shoppers and retail workers. It is time we put an end to it,” he added, saying the abuse suffered was “heartbreaking”.

Murphy also said that Tesco is offering its staff body cameras amid the rise in attacks.

Similar measures have been taken by Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Co-op over the last few years while Premier Eldred Drive Stores in Orpington, Kent is one example of a convenience store adopting the technology.

Murphy cited the British Retail Consortium’s annual Crime Survey from March this year which showed that there are over 850 incidents of violence and abuse every day in the retail sector.

Helen Dickinson OBE, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium said at the time: “The appalling level of incidents of violence and abuse against our retail colleagues means the work of the #ShopKind campaign is more critical than ever.

“While a confrontation may be over in minutes, the physical and emotional impact on the victims and their families can last a lifetime.

“People in retail work hard to look after customers, helping us find what we need, keeping shelves stocked and delivering goods. No one should ever go to work fearing for their safety. We remind customers to shop kind and be respectful to retail workers and fellow customers.”