Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many violent attacks on staff working in retail premises there were in each year since 2015.

The Government recognises the damaging impact that violence and abuse can have, not only for victims, but also for businesses, and the wider community. We continue to work closely with retailers, the police and others to tackle these crimes.

Some information is available on the number of assaults and threats made against staff in the Wholesale and retail sector working in premises in England and Wales from the Home Office Commercial Victimisation. Annual estimates are available for each year since 2012 and are published in the ‘Crime against businesses’ tables which can be found here:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/703372/crime-against-businesses-comparison-2017-tables.ods

On 5 April, the Government launched a Call for Evidence on violence and abuse toward shop staff, to further understand the scale of the issue and in-form our response.