The Labour leader pledged that a Labour Government will make Britain’s streets safe by halving serious violent crime and raising confidence in the police and criminal justice system to its highest levels. Keir Starmer set out that this will result in more visible policing, faster courts, higher standards and ultimately more criminals brought to justice. Within a decade, Labour will:
- halve the level of violence against women and girls.
- halve the incidents of knife crime.
- raise confidence in every police force to its highest levels.
- reverse the collapse in the proportion of crimes solved.
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “Retail crime is crippling the industry and poses a significant threat to staff who face high levels of abuse, threats and assaults. So we very much welcome that Labour has made reducing crime and antisocial behaviour a key mission for when they are in government. Keir Starmer’s pledge to place 13,000 extra police on the streets, bring in new antisocial behaviour orders and reform fixed penalty notices will make a real difference.
“Usdaw’s latest survey found that nearly a third of shopworkers are thinking of quitting because of violence, threats and abuse. No-one should feel afraid to go to work, but our evidence shows that too many retail workers are. It is shocking that nearly three-quarters of our members working in retail are suffering abuse from customers, with far too many experiencing threats and violence.
“Worryingly theft from shops is increasing and has long been a major flashpoint for violence and abuse against shopworkers. Usdaw’s survey found that shoplifting was the trigger for nearly a third of verbal and physical attacks on retail staff. Having to deal with repeated and persistent shoplifters can cause issues beyond the theft itself like anxiety, fear and in some cases physical harm to retail workers.
“The British Retail Consortium found that the total cost of retail crime stood at £1.76 billion in 2021/22. £953 million was lost to customer theft, with eight million incidents of theft over the year. Retailers also spent £715 million on crime prevention in 2021/22. While some costs are critical in protecting staff, they also contribute to higher prices for customers by pushing up retailers’ operating costs.
“The Conservatives spent years resisting Usdaw calls for protection of shopworkers legislation, which was supported by over 100 major retailers and their representative bodies. Eventually they passed a small measure that can lead to stiffer sentences for those who attack workers in the course of their duties. It was a step in the right direction, but not nearly enough and only makes a difference once an offender gets to sentencing. The problem is that a shortage of police and a backlogged justice system means that too many never get to court.
“Today Labour has set out a comprehensive plan that will make a real difference to our members’ lives. Violence, threats and abuse against shopworkers have been a growing problem for the last seven years and reached catastrophic levels during the pandemic. We still need better co-ordination to ensure that retail employers, police and the courts work together to make stores safer and give staff the support and protection they need. Also our members need to be confident that reporting incidents will make a difference. It is clear that only Labour will deliver that.”
Labour’s five key missions for government are:
- Secure the highest sustained growth in the G7.
- Build an NHS fit for the future.
- Make Britain’s streets safe.
- Break down the barriers to opportunity at every stage.
- Make Britain a clean energy superpower.
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 350,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades
www.usdaw.org.uk
Final results of the Usdaw 2022 survey, based on 7,752 responses, show that (last year’s results in brackets): 74.26% (89%) were verbally abused, 49.25% (63%) were threatened. 7.92% (12%) had been assaulted. 40.88% said violence, threats and abuse caused them anxiety at work and 29.97% are now considering changing job.
| Comparison |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
| Abuse |
68% |
88% |
89% |
74% |
| Threats |
43% |
61% |
63% |
49% |
| Violence |
5% |
9% |
12% |
8% |
The full report can be found at:
www.usdaw.org.uk/FFFReport2022
Usdaw’s Freedom from Fear Campaign seeks to prevent violence, threats and abuse against workers by engaging the public, shopworkers and the Government.
www.usdaw.org.uk/Campaigns/Freedom-From-Fear
Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 – part 7 – chapter 3 - Assaults on those providing a public service etc: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/32/part/7/chapter/3/enacted
For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter
@UsdawUnion