Northern Ireland Retail Consortium Director, Neil Johnston has welcomed the news that a Sentencing Bill will be introduced in the Assembly in the next few weeks. It follows campaigning by the NIRC for better legal protections for shop workers from abuse and violence from customers.
Mr Johnston said:
We very much welcome this Bill as it includes a new offence of assaulting a person delivering a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public.
Retailers have campaigned strongly for this measure alongside the shop workers union USDAW. We were happy to engage with the Justice Minister, Naomi Long, on the subject, delighted that she has incorporated this measure into her Bill and very much welcome her introduction of the Bill to the Assembly.
We look forward to engaging with the Assembly on the Bill and very much hope that it makes it in to law by the end of this Assembly term. Similar measures are already in place in Scotland and in England and Wales and we hope that we can build on those experiences to ensure all retail workers – including for example delivery staff – are better protected than they are currently.
Far too often the skilled and passionate store employees who help make our retail industry such a vibrant place to work face unacceptable abuse, intimidation, or worse whilst serving the community. It comes despite record spending by retailers on crime prevention. Such incidents have sadly been on the rise across the country, and it remains completely unacceptable. The Minister is to be congratulated for moving to give better protection those who serve the public.
