The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) is calling on the government to introduce new protections for shop workers.
ACS is supporting David Hanson MP’s amendment to the Offensive Weapons Bill that would introduce additional protections for shopworkers who are abused or suffer violent attacks when refusing sales of corrosive substances. The new measures should reflect the protections assaults against NHS workers ‘aggravated’ and therefore receive more scrutiny and punishment from the justice system.
However, this amendment does not cover other age restricted products, and ACS is calling for across the board protection for retailers and shopworkers.
The bill amendment coincides with ‘Respect for Shopworkers’ Week (12th-18th November), a campaign for more support for shopworkers in the face of violence and abuse.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “Convenience store colleagues are on the front line enforcing the law on age restricted products, and should not feel threatened for doing their job. We are calling on the Government to do more to protect retailers and their store colleagues from violence and abuse by introducing tougher penalties for offenders.
“The Government relies on retailers and store colleagues to up hold the law, so we want back up from police and the criminal justice system to send a clear message that violence and verbal abuse is not acceptable and will be acted on.”
ACS’ 2018 Crime Report found the biggest concern of retailers is violence against staff.
There were over 13,000 incidents of violence committed against retailers and staff over the last year, over a third of which resulted in injury. The report found that the top three most common reasons for violent and abusive behaviour in stores were challenging shop thieves, the enforcement of age restricted products such as tobacco and alcohol and refusal to serve customers who are already drunk.
