Warning issued as violence and abuse against retail workers at ‘unacceptably high’ levels

New figures reveal there was a significant decrease in incidents of violence and abuse targeting retail workers last year, but the overall level remains the second highest on record.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) Crime Report reveals overall incidents fell by a fifth from 2,000 to 1,600 per day, but the average daily number of physical violence against staff remained steady at 118.

Alarmingly, there were an average of 36 gun-related incidents every day.

Despite this “hard-won” progress, the BRC described current levels as “unacceptably high”, which stands in stark contrast to the 455-day event recorded before the pandemic.

There was a slight increase in retailers’ satisfaction with the police response; 13 percent now rated it good or excellent, up from 9 percent in the previous year’s report.

Retailers have also spent more than £5bn over the past five years on improved security measures, including CCTV and security staff, with the investment “starting to pay off”.

Theft remained a significant problem, with 5.5 million incidents detected last year; This cost retailers around £400 million.

The BRC said many incidents went undetected and the true cost was likely to be much higher.

He warned that organized crime gangs were increasingly targeting high-value, easily resold goods and taking advantage of the lack of results.

The report also included parcel theft for the first time, saying it cost retailers more than £100 million last year.

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The upcoming Crime and Police Bill will introduce a separate offense for assaulting a retail worker and remove the £200 threshold for “low-level” theft.

BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “Violence remains widespread. No one should go to work fearing for their safety and we must redouble our efforts to drive these numbers down even further once and for all.”

“Theft remains a worrying problem, increasingly linked to organized crime gangs who continue to systematically target one store after another, stealing tens of thousands of pounds worth of goods at a time.

“Retailers, police and government must continue to work together, building on the great work done so far, focusing on consistent enforcement, better data and intelligence sharing and targeted action against prolific criminals and organized gangs.”

Joanne Thomas, general secretary of retail workers union Usdaw, said: “The decline in violence and abuse is welcome news, but both Usdaw and BRC data show that retail workers continue to face unacceptable levels of violence and abuse as a result of simply going to work.

“5.5 million shoplifters are by no means a victimless crime; Usdaw evidence shows that two-thirds of attacks on retail staff are triggered by burglary or armed robbery.

“Having to deal with repeated and persistent offending can cause problems beyond theft, such as anxiety, fear and physical harm to retail workers.”