Retail workers saw violence and abuse more than triple during the pandemic, according to new figures.
The British Retail Consortium said the number of incidents surged to 1,301 each day in the year to March 2021 – the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, which was dominated by social distancing and face mask rules.
This is compared to 455 per day in the previous year and is even more stark considering that, for much of 2021, non-essential shops were closed, meaning that the abuse was concentrated in a smaller number of premises.
Helen Dickinson, the consortium’s chief executive, said: “These figures make particularly grim reading as they came at the height of the pandemic when the ‘hidden heroes’ of retail were working tirelessly to look after customers, keep shelves stocked, and ensure orders were fulfilled.
“As our colleagues implemented COVID safety measures to keep the public safe, too many were met with hostility, abuse, threats and assault.”
The BRC figures showed that 125 incidents each day involved violence but only 4% of incidents resulted in prosecution.
The price of dealing with retail crime also leapt to £1.5bn for the year, which included £663m in losses due to customer theft, and £715m spent on crime prevention.
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These costs are contributing to the rising cost of goods for customers, the BRC said.
‘Emotional scars and trauma’
Ms Dickinson added: “Violence must never be a part of the job.
“Those retail colleagues affected are our parents, our partners and our children, and they have suffered needlessly, just for doing their job.
“They can bear the emotional scars and carry the trauma for the rest of their lives.
“It is vital that the amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill helps to deter perpetrators, but this will require the police to take action and improve their response to incidents.”
The amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill was introduced earlier this year, creating a statutory aggravating factor in assaults committed against workers “providing a public service or performing a public duty”.
Scotland introduced a specific offence for violence and abuse against retail workers last year.
