For too long, retail workers have had to put up with persistent anti-social behaviour and abuse. To combat this, I have long supported calls for the creation of a new offence and tougher sentencing for assaulting a shop worker.
Retail workers provide a hugely significant act of public service in restricting the sale of items such as cigarettes, alcohol, and knives. This is important on a personal level, but also for society.
I know that every declined sale is a possible point of friction, putting staff at risk, and too many have stories of life-changing injuries that they have suffered at work.
Therefore, I am glad that action is finally being taken to address and resolve these issues, with the Government’s Crime and Policing Bill setting out legislation which will give the police and local communities like ours the support and tools that they need to tackle local crime.
A key part of this legislation rightly places significant focus on protecting our high streets. Namely, it will end the effective immunity for shop theft of goods below £200. It also includes the creation of a new specific offence for assaults on shopworkers that will protect them from threats and violence.
However, assaults on home delivery drivers would not be covered by this new protection as it is currently written.
The Home Secretary has been specifically asked “whether she has considered expanding the definition of assault of a retail worker to include retail home delivery drivers”. In response to this question, Dame Diana Johnson, the Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention, has said:
“Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers to do this. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work.
“Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores, sending a strong message to offenders and would-be offenders that violence against retail workers will not be tolerated. The Bill is making its way through Parliament and had its Second Reading on 10 March.
“As introduced, the definition of a ‘retail worker’ does not include delivery drivers. Keeping a tight definition provides legal clarity and ensures there is less ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker and impacted during their job. Workers whose roles are not included are already covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, such as actual bodily harm (ABH) and grievous bodily harm (GBH).
“That said, the whole purpose of the parliamentary process is to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and we will, of course, consider carefully any amendments and supporting evidence.”
It is encouraging that the Minister has left the door open for amendments to be made to the Bill during its remaining stages in Parliament, including one to extend the new protections for retail workers to cover home delivery drivers as well.
Please be assured that I will follow developments with the Bill at its Committee Stage closely and bear this issue in mind when all MPs next have the opportunity to debate its contents, at its Report Stage.