Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that customer service staff are protected from abuse during the covid-19 lockdown.

Any such abuse is unacceptable, and the Government is working closely with the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) to deliver a programme of work which aims to provide better support to victims, improve reporting, increase data sharing and raise awareness of this despicable crime.

The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that can be used to respond quickly and effectively to anti-social behaviour.

The Government continues to work with these different agencies throughout the pandemic to ensure anti-social behaviour is tackled. This includes marshals, stewards and ambassadors being deployed to engage members of the public and businesses to explain COVID-19 Secure guidelines and restrictions, and the police who continue to enforce where necessary.