Co-op has labelled the government’s new retail crime legislation a ‘victory’ as assaults on shopworkers are made a standalone offence.
The convenience retail giant celebrated the amendment to the Criminal Justice bill as its chief executive Shirine Khoury-Haq said that the new legislation came as a “warning to criminals that their unacceptable behaviour will no longer be tolerated”.
Under the new plans, offenders face a six-month prison sentence, unlimited fines, and a ban from revisiting the store where they committed the crime, while breaching these rules could result in a further five-year prison sentence.
Perpetrators carrying out serious cases of assault, such as causing grievous bodily harm with intent, could receive a life sentence, as prime minister Rishi Sunak said he was “sending a message” to criminals and that stores “must be free to trade without the threat of crime or abuse”.
It comes as shoplifting reached record highs last year, with 5.6m incidents, almost fivefold as many as the previous year’s retail crime record of 1.1m incidents in 2022.
Among the new measures, the government has committed to investing £55m in facial recognition technology over the next four years to “help catch perpetrators and prevent shoplifting”, including £4m for mobile units that will be dispatched on UK high streets.
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Khoury-Haq added: “This announcement will resonate with shopworkers the length and breadth of the country.”
“As a Co-op, we exist to make a genuine difference for our 5 million member owners and the issues they care about. This change shows the true power of co-operation, with our Co-op member-owners having called for this urgent change to ensure no shop worker should face violence or abuse as part of their job.”
“It will make a real difference to the lives of not only thousands of our Co-op colleagues, but also shopworkers across the nation and it sends a strong and clear message to shopworkers that they have been listened to.”
Co-op director of public affairs and campaigning Paul Gerrard said: “Co-op sees every day the violence and threats our colleagues, like all retail workers, face as they serve the communities they live in. We have long called for a standalone offence of attacking or abusing a shopworker and so we very much welcome the Government’s announcement today.
“Co-op will re-double its work with police forces but these measures will undoubtedly, when implemented, keep our shopworkers safer, protect the shops they work in and, help the communities they serve.”
Themeasures come amid Co-op joining others in the industry to campaign for a change. Earlier this year, the convenience retail partnered with University of London to publish a ten-point report focused on on turning the tide on the rise in physical and mental harm on store workers.
Last week the retailer’s food managing director Matt Hood revealed it was exploring the use of AI to tackle crime, adding to its existing measures including 200 secure till kiosks, locked cabinets, body-worn cameras and dummy packaging.
