The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned of “appalling levels” of violence and abuse against retail workers since the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the trade association‘s Crime Survey, over 850 incidents of racial and sexual abuse, physical assault and threats with weapons occur every day, up from 450 per day in 2019.
This spike in retail crime has also brought a large financial cost of £1.76 billion in 2021 to 2022, with £953 million lost to customer theft across eight million incidents.
Retailers also spent £715m on crime prevention across the period, which the BRC has said contributes to higher prices for customers by pushing up retailers’ opetating costs.
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While an amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act was secured last year with an aim to better protect those in retail, the Home Office does not track the use of the amendment, which the BRC has said makes it ‘impossible’ to know if the changes are having an impact.
“The pandemic has normalised appalling levels of violent and abusive behaviour against retail workers. While a confrontation may be over in minutes, for many victims, their families and colleagues, the physical and emotional impact can last a lifetime,” BRC chief executive, Helen Dickinson said.
She said that in order to make the UK a safer place to work, “the Home Office must improve its reporting around the amendment” and the police needs to prioritise “adequately resourcing retail crime.”
“Surely everyone deserves the right to go to work without fear.”
Sussex Police and Crime commisioner, Katy Bourne added: “The experiences reported across the UK in the BRC Annual Crime Survey mirror those I have been hearing about from businesses in Sussex.
“It’s clear that we will only drive crime down by bridging some of the gaps that still remain in reporting processes, police response, criminal justice sanctions and a partnership approach to prevention.”
She said that to identify offenders, the police need businesses to report incidents and provide evidence, adding “PCCs will make sure that the concerns of BRC members get the national and local policing attention they deserve.”
