The Prime Minister used a trip to Sussex to announce new measures aimed at tackling shop crime today (Wednesday 10 April).
Rishi Sunak said “we’ve got the back” of shop staff as he announced that assaulting retail workers would be made a separate criminal offence.
Mr Sunak went to a branch of Boots, in Horsham, where he saw the store’s safety measures such as body-worn cameras and panic buttons.
And at Horsham police station, the PM said: “I have been concerned by the rise in retail crime as I’m sure many others are – either seeing it or on social media – which is why today we’ve announced a strong set of measures to clamp down on retail crime.
“(The measures have) been warmly welcomed by retailers and police that I’ve spoken to today and crucially will demonstrate to our shop workers that we’ve got their back and also that we will do what it takes to keep our streets and our community safe.”
Government ministers had previously ruled out the creation of a new offence, saying in response to a parliamentary petition in October that they did not think that it was necessary.
But, after a long campaign by some of the country’s biggest store chains, the government has agreed to create a separate criminal offence of assaulting shop staff.
Mr Sunak said today that the government would amend the Criminal Justice Bill to bring in the new offence in England and Wales.
The PM said previously: “I am sending a message to those criminals – whether they are serious organised criminal gangs, repeat offenders or opportunistic thieves – who think they can get away with stealing from these local businesses or abusing shop workers: enough is enough.
“Our local shops are the lifeblood of our communities and they must be free to trade without the threat of crime or abuse.”
Those convicted of the new offence face being jailed for up to six months or an unlimited fine which is the same sentence as for common assault.
Serial offenders may be ordered to wear an electronic tag, as may persistent shoplifters, under amendments to the bill which is currently being considered by Parliament.
There is also the prospect of greater use of facial recognition technology in crowded areas to identify people who are wanted by the police.
Facial recognition technology has already been brought in by the Southern Co-op in some of its local grocery stores when they have been affected by high levels of shoplifting.
The courts can already use criminal behaviour orders to ban repeat offenders from certain shops, with breaches punishable with a maximum prison sentence of five years.
Almost 50,000 people signed a petition calling for a separate law covering assaults on shop staff after significant increases in retail crime – assaults and shoplifting.
But in the autumn the government said: “The government is committed to supporting hardworking retail workers who can suffer intolerable violence and abuse but we do not think more legislative change is required or will be most effective.”
British Retail Consortium chair Helen Dickinson said: “The impact of retail violence has steadily worsened, with people facing racial abuse, sexual harassment, threatening behaviour, physical assault and threats with weapons, often linked to organised crime.
“Victims are ordinary hardworking people – teenagers taking on their first job, carers looking for part-time work, parents working around childcare.”
