Crime

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.

An Early Day Motion tabled by All Party Parliamentary Small Shops Group chair Ruth George MP on the importance of dealing with shop theft has received cross party support from MPs.

Early Day Motion 1415 has received signatures from members of the Labour Party, Conservative Party, SNP, Plaid Cymru, Liberal Democrats and the DUP.

The Early Day Motion states:

The Home Office have published the latest figures from its 2017 Commercial Victimisation Survey, reporting that the number of assaults and threats committed against the wholesale and retail sector has risen significantly over the last year, from 524 incidents per 1,000 premises to 1,433 incidents per 1,000 premises.

The CVS also reports that wholesale and retail premises experienced around 8.1 million crimes over the last year, rising from 5.2m in 2016. Almost two thirds of these incidents (61%) are attributed to theft by customers.

The charity Crimestoppers and The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) are today offering a reward of up to £5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for the aggravated robbery of a Hampshire service station.

The incident happened on February 17^th at around 4.25am at the Esso garage at Stoney Cross on the westbound carriageway of the A31, which saw one of two staff members working that morning assaulted with a crowbar. The victim was treated for a head injury at Royal Bournemouth Hospital.