Retail Crime: Effects

Lord Hannett of Everton Excerpts

Thursday 5th December 2024 Lords Chamber

Moved by

[Lord Hannett of Everton]

That this House takes note of retail crime and its effect on workers, the community and local economies.

[Lord Hannett of Everton (Lab)]

My Lords, before I really begin this debate, let me say how impressed I have been today with some of the contributions on subjects such as stalking and homelessness.

To turn to my debate, I am so pleased to have the opportunity to debate what I believe is an extremely important issue. This is a welcome opportunity to draw attention to the important issue of retail crime. When I talk of retail crime, I am talking about the individuals who are on the receiving end of it. It is an issue that blights our high streets, towns and cities, right across the country. It affects all of us and our communities. Above all, it affects the people who work in retail—often low-paid workers, who are left feeling vulnerable and unsafe in the workplace.

USDAW’S Freedom From Fear campaign has been running since 2003. In my previous role, I introduced this campaign. It sounds a very stark title; after all, we are not in a war zone. However, I tell noble Lords that many of our members said that, on occasions, as a result of the verbal and physical abuse, it felt like it. The campaign has gathered support from across the retail industry and there have been calls for action from the Co-operative Party and the British Retail Consortium. It is not an “us and them” campaign. Employers do not want their employees abused and have therefore worked very closely with my union over many years. The campaign has made huge strides over the past three years. I place on record the work that my successor, Paddy Lillis, and the executive have done. Just as important are those union representatives who are at the coalface dealing with this issue on a daily basis.

In August 2021, a new ground-breaking law was introduced in Scotland to protect shopworkers from violence, threats and abuse. The abuse can be extremely cutting if you are on the receiving end of some of the comments made over many years. It is testament to the importance of this debate that the campaign was launched in 2003, and I have spoken on it in many countries as UNI commerce president, because retail crime does not recognise international borders.

Changes to sentencing guidelines were also introduced in England and Wales, but these did not get anywhere near what was needed or the measures introduced in Scotland. The situation on the ground has continued to go from bad to worse. We have seen a huge increase in retail crime from organised gangs driving incidents of abuse, threats and violence against retail staff. We must remember that we are talking about a workplace—not a town centre or a public house. This is inside stores. It is obviously right that they welcome people in but, sometimes, they also attract those who feel that they have a right to speak to retail staff in a completely unacceptable way.

According to figures from the ONS, in the year to October 2024, nearly 470,000 offences were recorded by police forces across England and Wales, a 29% increase and the highest figure since records started in March 2003. However, the reality is that under-reporting hides an even worse situation. We know that many retail workers do not report incidents, because they simply do not believe that anything will happen when they do. The British Retail Consortium survey showed that there were more than 1,300 incidents of violence and abuse against retail workers every day in 2022 and 2023. Only one-third of those incidents were reported to police and less than 8% resulted in a prosecution. USDAW’s latest survey of its members found that seven out of 10 have been verbally abused in the past year; 46% were threatened, and 18% were physically assaulted during the year. Theft was the trigger for 61% of incidents in 2023, and this, coupled with record levels of retail crime, is now driving a huge number of incidents.

Of course, numbers roll off a page very easily, but we should remember that behind the statistics are real people. Their responsibility is to go to work and feel safe, and abuse should never be part of the job. Some of the comments that USDAW members made in response to the survey told stories that are harrowing. In fact, I know from my past experience that we have had people who have been physically abused not once or twice but on a number of occasions and have never returned to their employment, because they could not face the idea that the situation might occur again. One said, “A shoplifter grabbed my arm, bruised it”. Another said, “As I was leaving work, I was confronted by a man who came straight to me and physically hit me without any reason or motive”. That person lived in the same community as the shop worker. Another told of homophobic comments and “Threats to hurt me because I refused a sale”. One retail worker said she had been threatened and faced attempted assault just for note-checking, when there was a disagreement over what had been said.

I believe that this is the tip of the iceberg. It is unacceptable that retail workers, who do such essential jobs in our communities, are having to face this on a daily basis. I remember their work and the contribution that they, like all front-facing staff, made during the pandemic to support us as consumers. The anxiety caused by having to return to the workplace where you were actually attacked, threatened or abused, and wondering whether it will happen again, is absolutely horrendous. Many retail workers live in the communities they serve, so they can feel unsafe in their homes and local area. This is an important point. We have had examples of people being followed home and threatened. This fear and anxiety can ruin workers’ lives, and it needs to be challenged and stopped. That is why it is very encouraging that the Government are going to introduce a new stand-alone offence of assaulting a retail worker. I want to place on record my thanks to my noble friend Lord Hanson, not just for the work he has done here on this matter but for his work in the other House, where he supported our campaigns—it goes back many years.

Legislation to make this a special offence will send a strong message that violence against retail workers will not be tolerated. It will help police forces to target resources and improve reporting and recording procedures. It is important that the Government bring this legislation forward and that it is comprehensive in its coverage. We have to start somewhere. The situation in Scotland is different, but I am so pleased that this Government have taken this matter seriously. Where they could go further, of course, is looking at the Scottish law to see whether they can move towards the same outcome. A key step forward will be the removal of the £200 threshold for prosecuting shoplifters. That threshold has effectively become an open invitation to retail criminals, and it is vital that is removed as soon as possible.

Additional funding in relation to retail crime was announced in the Autumn Budget, including £5 million over three years to continue funding the national policing intelligence unit, Opal, to combat organised gangs targeting retailers; £2 million over three years to the National Business Crime Centre, to support police and businesses in preventing and tackling crime; £100,000 in 2025-2026 to the National Police Chiefs’ Council, for further training on crime prevention. All this is very welcome and a sign of the importance that the Government are placing on tackling retail crime.

The inquiry by the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee is also very timely and welcome. Its report makes 15 recommendations, all of which are carefully considered and are useful contributions to the policy debate on this important issue. Its recommendations acknowledge the work that the Government are already doing in this area, including the stand-alone offence and the removal of the £200 threshold. The report also, of course, focuses on rehabilitation. We know that many of those stealing from shops and attacking retail workers are repeat offenders. Often, drugs and alcohol are involved, and the cost of living crisis has, to some extent, made the situation even more of problem. These are different reasons, but nevertheless important.

It is essential that there is proper investment in treatment and prevention measures to tackle this problem effectively. The importance of good data collection and sharing is also highlighted in the report, which calls for a retail flag system to be set up. It highlights the need for legislation to ensure that crime prevention technologies, such as facial recognition, are used ethically. It also recommends regulations are introduced to prevent the selling of stolen goods online. Another key recommendation is that a public information campaign should highlight the impact of shop theft.

It also talks about the importance of the language used on the issue. The term “shoplifting” does not reflect the serious nature of these incidents—after all, these are real people going to work. Sometimes the image of retail is that it is not as important as many other industries; it is, and these people do real, valued work, on which we all depend. The new Government have already shown that they take retail jobs seriously, value retail work and stand with retail workers. That proves that the long campaign since 2003 is now beginning to deliver outcomes.

We need to ensure that the legislation is passed as quickly as possible, with the most comprehensive application, and that the right policing resources are put in place to enforce it. I am impressed that there are going to be more police on the streets, which I hope will turn the view that retail crime is not really as important as some other crimes, because it is. We need better co-ordination between the police and retailers, ensuring that these hardened career criminals can no longer leave retail workers living in fear. We will not be able to fix the issue overnight, but we need to act urgently. The recommendation in the committee’s report recognised the scale of the problem and the need for serious action. The introduction of the stand-alone offence is a huge milestone and, alongside the other recommendations, it will make a real difference in keeping retail workers safe. Violence and abuse are not parts of the job.

I hope that all the speakers who put their names down will contribute in a positive way to the debate. More importantly, to have this on the record gives a real boost to retail workers, allowing them to see that this is taken seriously in both Houses.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lord Hannett of Everton (Lab)]

My Lords, brevity is probably the call at this time of night. I thank all noble Lords for their contributions; all of them made excellent points—too many to repeat. Again, I thank the Minister for his consistent support on this issue, not just here in this House but, prior, in the other House.

My noble friend Lady Hazarika gave an example of her real-life experience. I wish that it was a one-off. It was a graphic example of what takes place on a regular basis.

I never wanted this to become a political debate, and nor was it—it would be hard to have any separation of support on resolving and challenging this important issue for shop workers. The noble Lord, Lord Razzall, made a point about unanimity. It was interesting to hear that every speaker, irrespective of which party they belong to or have been a member of, knows that this is a joint issue that needs a joint approach.

I thank everybody for their support. I hope that, if there is one thing noble Lords take from this debate, it is that the contributions made here today will be so important to retail workers in my union when they realise that, clearly, there are people in this place who care as they do and have articulated it.

On the £200 issue, I will finish by saying that I do not believe for one minute that it was intentional for the police not to respond, but the reality is that they were not responding. The real risk here is of retail crime being normalised. It was becoming not acceptable but normalised. It was no longer a shock to hear some of these stats.

The noble Lord, Lord Monks, said something that connected with me when he made reference to poverty and retail crime—not in terms of a justification or an explanation but in saying that, in reality, when there are major economic challenges, you have different extremes. There are the gangs, which are there to make money and do not care about the impact, and then there are other people who are more desperate. I do not say that as a justification; I just say that these are the realities.

Once again, I thank noble Lords for their contributions. USDAW fully appreciates this, and it has been well received.

Motion agreed.