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Shock rise in retail violence
27 November 2007
Usdaw has pledged to continue its efforts to protect its members from violence after the British Retail Consortium (BRC) reported a 50 per cent increase in violence against shopworkers.
The BRC's Annual Crime Survey also revealed that over the same period recorded threats of violence against staff have more than doubled, the number of threats of violence has increased by one third in the past year, and the number of incidents per 100 stores has shot up by 18 per cent.
General secretary John Hannett said: "We are working with employers, staff, local authorities, the Government and the police to promote local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships which aim to cut crime and anti-social behaviour in the retail sector.
"We are pleased the BRC's Kevin Hawkins agrees with us that behind these alarming figures there is individual human pain and distress. It is unacceptable.
"The BRC's Annual Crime Survey is the most authoritative measure of retail crime, so I am very concerned about the reported increase in incidents last year, particularly those involving violence or the threat of violence to staff.
"The number of reported incidents thankfully remains much lower than the peak in 2003 when Usdaw launched our Freedom From Fear campaign and this is a result of the work Usdaw, the BRC and many good retail employers have done to combat the problem.
"We want local partnerships of retailers, shopworkers, councils and police to work together to rid our shops and shopping areas of this criminal and anti-social behaviour. This not only affects retailers and staff, but customers and the wider community as well which makes it all the more important that we work together. Shopworkers deserve respect and should be able to go to work without the fear of violence and abuse."
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