New Crime and Policing Bill

The Government has introduced the Crime and Policing Bill to Parliament. 

Among a raft of other measures, the Bill proposes a separate offence of assaulting a retail worker with a maximum sentence of six months. It also looks to remove the £200 low value limit for shoplifting, meaning the maximum sentence for shop theft will be seven years regardless of value. It also seeks to implement measures on knife sales, and address anti-social behaviour.

The bill comes after years of campaigning by the BRC and others for a standalone offence to protect people working in retail. With our most recent survey showing over 2,000 incidents of violence and abuse against retail workers daily, it is clear that this action is needed urgently to protect retail colleagues from harm and tackle the surge in theft. 

A standalone offence will improve the visibility of the issue so that the police can allocate resources more effectively , and will act as a deterrent to would-be offenders. Removing the £200 low value limit for shoplifting will also send a clear message that shoplifting is not acceptable. 

Retailers are still concerned that delivery drivers aren’t covered by the bill, even though they face the same risks as their colleagues in stores. This is concerning, since delivery drivers are covered in Scotland’s Protection of Workers Bill, so retail colleagues have better protection there than they will in England and Wales so we are making representations to government and hope to see them consider amendments that will address this as the Bill makes its way through parliament. 

You can find more information on the Bill here: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3938