Retail Trade: Abuse

(asked on 24th November 2020) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure retail workers are protected from abusive customers.


Answered by
Kit Malthouse Portrait
Kit Malthouse
This question was answered on 2nd December 2020

Last year the Home Office ran a call for evidence on Violence and Abuse Toward Shop Staff to understand further the issue and the measures which may help prevent these crimes. The Government published a response to the Call for Evidence in July. Action the Government is taking to reduce violence and abuse experienced by shop workers is set out in the response, which is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/violence-and-abuse-toward-shop-staff-call-for-evidence

The Government is also working closely with the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) to address key issues highlighted by taking forward a programme of work focused on:

• Developing communications for both employees and employers to make clear that violence and abuse of shop workers is not tolerated;

• Developing a best practice guide that aims to support staff in reporting these crimes when they occur to ensure that a suitable response can be delivered;

• Looking at barriers to effective data sharing between businesses and the police to ensure that information can be used to better understand the problem; and

• Looking at how to better provide support to victims.

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