Violence and abuse towards retail workers

Home Affairs Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 17 Dec 2020 Closed: 18 Nov 2024 Parliament page
Following the announcement that a General Election will be held on 4 July, Select Committees will be unable to meet from 24 May and will cease to exist from 30 May until after the General Election. This work has therefore closed The Committee carried out an inquiry into violence and … Read more
21 Recommendations
18 Conclusions
1 Report
3 Oral sessions
4 Letters
3 Events
Activity timeline 12 events
5 Nov
2024
Correspondence
22 May
2024
Correspondence
17 Apr
2024
Oral evidence
17 Apr
2024
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
9 Nov
2022
Correspondence
9 Sep
2021
Report published
29 Jun
2021
Report published
7 Jun
2021
Correspondence
28 Apr
2021
Oral evidence
28 Apr
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
14 Apr
2021
Oral evidence
14 Apr
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Virtual meeting
Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions
17 Apr 2024
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Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman · National Police Chief's Council Chief Superintendent Alex Goss · National Police Chiefs’ Council Edward Woodall · Association of Convenience Stores Joanne Cairns · Usdaw Lyndsey Cambridge · Federation of Wholesale Distributors Paul Gerrard · The Co-op Superintendent Patrick Holdaway · City of London Police
28 Apr 2021
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Amanda Blakeman · Gwent Police David Jamieson · West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Ian Dyson QPM · City of London Police Patrick Holdaway · Hampshire Constabulary
14 Apr 2021
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Iona Blake · Boots UK James Lowman · Association of Convenience Stores Joanne Cairns · Usdaw Paul Gerrard · The Co-op Tom Ironside · British Retail Consortium (BRC)
Title HC No. Published Items Response
First Report - Violence and abuse towards retail workers HC 141 29 Jun 2021 39 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
13 results
Clear
7 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - Violence and abuse …
Ensure government learns lessons from pandemic and provides clear guidance for future restrictions.
A lack of clarity with regards to Government guidelines on mask wearing and social distancing exacerbated an already difficult situation for retailers in the early days of the pandemic. If in future new public health restrictions are required the Government … Read more
Government Response
The government agreed to work closely with retailers to ensure any future public health restrictions and guidance are clear and workable, stating that BEIS and DEFRA will continue this engagement.
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8 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - Violence and abuse …
Policing response is failing to match rising violence and abuse against retail workers.
The Committee has heard overwhelming evidence that the policing response is simply failing to match the rising tide of violence and abuse against retail workers. The evidence also suggests that the response varies significantly between police forces: while there are … Read more
Government Response
The government outlines the ongoing work of the NRCSG and its task groups in producing resources for retailers on crime reporting, data sharing, and victim support, and notes the establishment of two new Task and Finish groups on substance misuse and information sharing.
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13 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - Violence and abuse …
Current business crime definition inappropriate for measuring violence against retail workers.
We therefore recommend that the National Business Crime Centre work with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to agree a better long-term way to identify and properly measure the violence and abuse suffered by retail workers in the crime statistics gathered … Read more
Government Response
The government is working with the NPCC to consider options for adding more granularity to crime data for violence against retail workers, acknowledging the need for police consultation on administrative burden, but did not commit to implementing a specific new flag.
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14 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - Violence and abuse …
Require Police and Crime Commissioners to establish Business Crime Reduction Partnerships and retail crime plans.
As local representatives Police and Crime Commissioners are well placed to understand the specific issues facing the retail community in their area and to ensure police forces focus attention on this critical issue. Collaboration between police and retailers to identify … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the importance of reporting and commits to working with relevant bodies to scope options for online business crime reporting and to consider how to encourage the creation of Business Crime Reduction Partnerships, alongside highlighting existing police funding and the Safer Streets Fund.
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18 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - Violence and abuse …
Government discontinuing direct funding for National Business Crime Centre is nonsensical.
There is clearly an issue with the consistency of the policing response to retail crime across the country. In light of this finding, the Committee was disappointed to learn that the Government is no longer directly funding the work of … Read more
Government Response
The government explains that national leadership is provided by the NRCSG and that while the NBCC will not be directly funded, it will receive appropriate government support and the Home Office will work with them to scope and potentially fund online business crime reporting services.
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20 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - Violence and abuse …
Provide greater government support for Business Crime Reduction Partnerships, involving shopworkers and employers.
Business Crime Reduction Partnerships have huge potential to improve communication and collaboration between the police, local retailers and local authorities on the issue of retail crime. Tailoring the policing response to areas of particular vulnerability, identifying repeat offenders, and developing … Read more
Government Response
The government stated it will continue to work with relevant bodies to consider what more can be done to encourage the creation of Business Crime Reduction Partnerships but deflected the recommendation to involve shopworkers and major employers to the NABCP and individual BCRPs for consideration.
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24 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - Violence and abuse …
Agree an Employers Charter for retail workers, based on Suzy's Charter, with industry groups.
We applaud the work of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust in creating Suzy’s Charter, a far more effective and useful tool than the Government’s guidance for securing the safety of retail workers. The Government’s lacklustre endorsement of the Charter, a fleeting … Read more
Government Response
The government committed to reviewing existing resources and will consult with the National Retail Crime Steering Group about whether they would support the creation of an Employers Charter for retail workers, using Suzy’s Charter as a template.
Home Office
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26 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - Violence and abuse …
Advanced security solutions for retail workers are often financially unviable for many businesses.
The Committee was impressed by this range of solutions and the potential of new technology to improve both the safety of retail workers and the ability to gather evidence about incidents of retail crime. The methods described above, such as … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges that while useful resources have been created, more is needed, and commits the Home Office and NRCSG to review existing resources and fully consider the Committee's recommendation for future work.
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27 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - Violence and abuse …
Government guidance on retail crime lacks urgency and sufficient practical advice for employers.
The guidance provided by the Government and the National Retail Crime Steering Group, published nearly 10 months after the response to the call for evidence, amounts to eight A4 pages of highly general advice followed by 10 pages of example … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges that while useful resources have been created, more is needed, and commits the Home Office and NRCSG to review existing resources and fully consider the Committee's recommendation for future work.
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28 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - Violence and abuse …
Include specific 'tool kit' material in government resources to support employers mitigating retail crime.
We recommend that the Government’s resources, which would be particularly beneficial for independent shops and small businesses, additionally include specific ‘tool kit’ style material to support all employers to take the following actions: • An internal communication campaign to encourage … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges existing resources and states it will review these resources with the NRCSG, giving full consideration to the committee's recommendation for further toolkit material when planning future work.
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31 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - Violence and abuse …
Provide sustainable central funding for national rehabilitation programmes and ring-fenced funds for local services.
We welcome the new funding the Home Office will be providing for drug treatment. However, it is only for one year, when sustainable increased funding is needed for ongoing services. We recommend that the Government makes central funding available for … Read more
Government Response
The government refers to future plans to be set out after the Spending Review for tackling drug misuse and improving treatment, but explicitly states it has no plans to prescribe how enforcement partners use proceeds of crime funds for rehabilitation.
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35 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - Violence and abuse …
Consult urgently on scope of new specific offence for enhanced legal protection of retail workers.
We believe there is a strong case for extra protection in law for retail workers through a specific offence. The Government should consult urgently on the scope of the offence, recognising the particular pressure on those in different occupations who … Read more
Government Response
The government's response is only a heading, 'Strengthening the legal framework,' offering no specific commitment or detail regarding the recommendation.
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39 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - Violence and abuse …
Consult urgently on a new standalone offence to protect retail workers from violence
The text of the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act, having undergone lengthy consultation and close scrutiny, provides a potential starting point. As we have previously recommended, the Government should consult urgently on the scope … Read more
Government Response
The government highlights existing legal protections but commits only to considering an amendment in the Lords if appropriate and to taking the Scottish Act into account during this consideration, rather than committing to an urgent consultation.
Home Office
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Government Response AI assessment · 39 of 21 classified
Accepted 6
Accepted in Part 4
Acknowledged 13
Deferred 12
Not Addressed 4
Total 21 recs + 18 conclusions
Correspondence 4 letters
5 Nov 2024 To committee Letter from the Minister for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention regarding violence and abuse towards retail workers 29.10.24
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22 May 2024 From committee Letter to the Home Secretary regarding follow-up work in relation to the Violence and abuse towards retail workers inquiry, dated 22 May 2024
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9 Nov 2022 From committee Letter to the Home Secretary on violence and abuse towards retail workers, dated 7 November 2022
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7 Jun 2021 Analysis of survey results for inquiry on violence towards retail workers
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