One in five witness retail violence or abuse, reveals BRC

More than a fifth of people (21%) witnessed violence or abuse against retail workers in the last year, according to a survey.

Incidents included racial and sexual abuse, physical assault and threats with weapons while shopping, the poll by Opinium for the British Retail Consortium (BRC) found.

However, the figure was a slight improvement on the previous year, when 23% of customers witnessed such incidents.

The survey also found that nearly a quarter of people (23%) have witnessed shoplifting – almost unchanged from 24% the previous year.

Rates varied significantly across the UK, with 32% of Londoners witnessing violence and abuse while shopping, followed by 26% of those in Yorkshire and Humberside and 23% across the North East.

The East of England recorded the lowest rate at 13%.

The picture was a little different for those witnessing shop theft, topped by London and the West Midlands (29%), followed by Yorkshire and Humberside and the North West (26%), the South East (25%) and the South West (24%).

Retailers reported that organised criminal gangs were increasingly targeting high-value goods that they can easily resell.

Previous BRC data revealed there were 1,600 incidents of violence and abuse against retail workers every day last year – the second highest level on record.

This included 118 incidents involving physical violence and 36 involving a weapon every day.

The BRC said delivery drivers were also often subjected to abuse, physical violence and threats with weapons.

It said retailers had spent an estimated £5 billion on fighting retail crime over the past five years, including on CCTV, security personnel, anti-theft devices and body-worn cameras.

These costs added to existing financial pressures, limited investment and contributed to higher prices for customers, it warned.

The upcoming Crime and Policing Bill will remove the £200 threshold of “low level” theft, “sending a clear signal that all shoplifting will be treated seriously”, the BRC said.

However, it said the Bill needed to go further by extending protection to all customer-facing retail workers, including delivery drivers.

BRC Chief Executive Helen Dickinson said: “For too many people, violence and abuse are now part of the shopping experience. An incident might last seconds, but for workers and bystanders, the impact can last a lifetime.

“The Crime and Policing Bill is an important step towards protecting retail workers and tackling crime. But as drafted, it falls short. Retail workers in England and Wales deserve the same protections as those in Scotland, including delivery drivers.

“Everyone in a customer-facing role should be protected – no exceptions.”