Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps is he taking to strengthen protections for shop workers that face (a) abusive, (b) threatening and (c) violent behaviour.

The Government recognises the damaging impact that violence and abuse toward shop staff can have.

That is why the National Retail Crime Steering Group brings together Government, the police, retailers and others to help ensure the response to these crimes, and wider related issues, is as robust as it can be. This includes guidance on reporting incidents to the police and the use of Impact Statements for Business which provide victims with a voice in the criminal justice process. The Home Office also provided £60,000 for a targeted communications campaign led by the Association of Convenience Stores to raise awareness.

In addition, we launched a call for evidence on violence and abuse toward shop staff to help strengthen our understanding of the scale and extent of the issue. The call for evidence has now closed and we are currently analysing responses. We intend to publish the Government’s response in due course.