Shopworkers’ union demands action on retail crime

Usdaw demanded action after ONS data revealed a 17% rise in police-recorded incidents of shoplifting in England and Wales over the last decade.

The union, the UK’s fifth-biggest with 410,000 members, wants tougher sentences for those who attack shopworkers, changes to the out-of-court disposals system – such as fixed penalty notices – which it said is not deterring reoffending, and a review of the response of police forces to violence affecting retail staff.

Usdaw general secretary Paddy Lillis said: “Shoplifting is not a victimless crime, with theft from shops often triggering violence, threats and abuse against shopworkers.

“The rising trend in shoplifting is extremely worrying for our members, even though figures from last year suggest the trend may be levelling off. However, we believe that police-recorded incidents under-estimate the scale of the problem because of significant under-reporting of incidents.

“The evidence from retailers, police and our own survey of shopworkers all show a disturbing increase in retail crime. This cannot be allowed to continue, action must be taken.

“Life on the front line of retail can be pretty tough for many shopworkers, there needs to be government action to protect them. The police must have the resources from government to respond to incidents and investigate shop thefts. We want the Government to legislate for stiffer sentences for the thugs that attack shopworkers.

“We want to see retailers, police and the courts working in partnership to ensure better protection for shopworkers. Retail staff are an important part of our communities. Their role must be valued, respected and protected.”