Assaulting a shopworker is to be made a separate criminal offence in England and Wales as part of the government’s clampdown on the surge in shoplifting.
It comes as daily incidents of violence and abuse towards staff employees skyrocketed 50% last year amid the cost-of-living crisis.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak said he was “sending a message” to criminals stealing and that stores “must be free to trade without the threat of crime or abuse”.
The government said it will introduce the new offence in its Criminal Justice Bill, which is currently being considered by Parliament.
It has also pledged £55m in facial recognition technology over the next four years to “help catch perpetrators and prevent shoplifting”.
This includes £4m for bespoke mobile units that can be deployed to high streets across the country with live facial recognition used in crowded areas to identify people wanted by the police, including repeat shoplifters.
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British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson welcomed the announcement and said “the voices of the three million people working in retail have finally been heard”.
“This announcement sends a clear message that this abusive behaviour will not be tolerated. It will improve the police response, which has historically been poor, as police will now have the necessary data to understand the scale of the problem and allocate sufficient resource to address this issue.
“Government has taken action, and it is vital that the police use this new legislation to step up their response to incidents. Together, we must stamp out this scourge in crime that has been sweeping the nation and ensure retail workers are given the vital protections they deserve.”
Co-op director of public affairs and campaigning Paul Gerrard added: “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.”
The convenience chain, which revealed it lost £70m in 2023 to retail crime, has invested more than £200m in recent years into staff and store safety, including body-worn cameras, the use of dummy packaging and the roll-out of fortified kiosks.
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