The offence was passed by Parliament in April as part of the Crime and Policing Act. The Act also brings in Respect Orders for repeat offenders, which will be available for the police to use from 26 October.
The letter has been signed by organisations that have been campaigning for many years for action to tackle the growing levels of retail crime and violence and abuse faced by retail workers. They include: Usdaw, BRC, ACS, the Retail Trust, NBCC,
Asda, B&M, B&Q, Booths, Co-op Group, Holland & Barrett, Home Bargains, Iceland, John Lewis, Lincolnshire Co-op, Morrisons, Our Co-op, Poundland, Sainsbury’s, Southern Co-op and Tesco.
National campaign activity is being co-ordinated in retail stores and town centres by Usdaw, ACS, Retail Trust and NBCC during the week of 9-15 November, calling on the public to respect shop workers.
Joanne Thomas – Usdaw general secretary: “We warmly welcome the positive actions taken so far by the Government in response to the retail crime epidemic they inherited. Progress has been made with the rate of shop theft reducing over the last two quarters, but much more needs to be done. That’s why we need the landmark legislation passed earlier this year to come into force soon as possible. The Government’s investment in policing is much-needed, but officers must also have the tools to tackle retail crime and assaults on workers.
“It is brilliant to see the whole industry coming together to both welcome the steps that the Government have taken and to show their enthusiasm for the specific offence to come into effect. We are really proud to be able to help coordinate this breadth of support.”
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive at the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said: "The Crime and Policing Act introduced vital new powers to allow the police to tackle the scourge of retail assault. With over 1,600 incidents of violence and abuse against retail colleagues every day, we need to see these powers in action as soon as possible. Nobody should have to go to work fearing for their safety.”
Ed Woodall, Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) chief executive said: “The Government deserves credit for recognising the impact that violence and abuse has on retailers and shop workers, and for legislating to create a standalone offence. We urge the Government to bring the offence into force as soon as possible, giving retailers and shop workers the confidence that attacks on those serving communities will be treated with the seriousness they deserve.”
Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the retail industry charity, the Retail Trust: “Retail workers have waited too long for stronger protection from the abuse and violence they face simply for doing their jobs. It is important this new protection is brought into force ahead of this year’s busy festive shopping period when unacceptable behaviour towards staff is likely to be at its worst.
“This will send a powerful message that any form of abuse will not be tolerated and remind us all to treat shop workers with more respect, kindness and courtesy in the run-up to Christmas.
Supt Lisa Maslen, head of the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) says: “The National Business Crime Centre works closely with policing and the retail sector to tackle retail crime and improve outcomes for victims. Enacting the standalone offence of assaulting a shop worker will provide a clear and consistent framework for responding to these offences, helping to ensure that offenders are dealt with robustly and that victims receive the support and protection they deserve."
Notes for editors:
Joint letter to the Home Secretary: www.usdaw.org.uk/HomeSec9-26
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest with around 370,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also represents many workers in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
British Retail Consortium (BRC) is a trade association for UK retail businesses, representing over 200 major retailers operating in physical stores, multichannel or pureplay online, plus thousands of smaller, independent retailers through a number of niche retail trade associations that are themselves members of BRC https://brc.org.uk/
Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) is the voice of the UK's 50,000+ local shops, supporting their members through effective lobbying, comprehensive advice and innovative networking opportunities www.acs.org.uk
The Retail Trust is the retail industry charity which has been caring for and protecting the lives of people working in retail from 1832 onwards. It works with more than 200 retailers to create hope, health and happiness for their staff with services that include a 24-hour wellbeing helpline, counselling and financial aid www.retailtrust.org.uk
National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) was established in 2017 to tackle business crime across the country. The NBCC works closely with businesses, law enforcement agencies, and other stakeholders to prevent and reduce the impact of business crime in the UK https://nbcc.police.uk/
Crime and Policing Act 2026: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2026/20/contents
For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Bluesky @usdawunion.bsky.social and Twitter/X @UsdawUnion