Violence and abuse towards retail workers Contents

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Contents

Summary

Introduction

1 The scale of the problem

Rising levels of violence and abuse towards retail workers

The human cost

What is driving rising levels of violence and abuse?

Organised crime

Theft, addiction and prolific offending

Gender and race

Age-restricted sales

The police response

The impact of Covid-

2 The policing response

Problems

A crisis of confidence

The vicious cycle of under-reporting

Solutions

Improved reporting and recording

Local prioritisation of violence and abuse against shopworkers

Neighbourhood policing

Leadership from the National Business Crime Centre

Business Crime Reduction Partnerships

3 The role of employers

What do retail workers want?

Preventative measures

4 The link between addiction and prolific offending

Funding rehabilitation

5 The legal framework

Calls for legislative change

Are retail workers a special case?

Strengthening the legal framework

Conclusions and recommendations

Annex: Summary of Government actions in response to the call for evidence on violence and abuse towards shop staff

Formal minutes

Witnesses

Published written evidence

List of Reports from the Committee during the current Parliament