Durham Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen has backed a campaign to protect shop workers, stating that "abuse is unacceptable." Her comments come as part of Safer Business Action Week, which runs from 9 to 15 November.
Survey reveals underreporting of retail incidents
A business survey conducted by Ms Allen found that store staff face distressing incidents including shoplifting, threats, verbal and physical abuse, and anti-social behaviour. However, few of these incidents are being reported to police.
Ms Allen is now encouraging retail workers to speak up and report incidents. She said: "Nobody should go to work wondering whether today is the day they will be threatened, spat at or assaulted. Nobody should be expected to tolerate that sort of behaviour to earn their living. Yet for too many shopworkers fear has become part of their working day."
Businesses call for more police action
The survey responses sent a clear message, according to Ms Allen. Almost nine in ten businesses wanted more support to tackle shoplifting, while 62% wanted more police action against threats and verbal and physical abuse of staff. Two-thirds wanted more help with anti-social behaviour around their shops.
The findings also exposed a lack of confidence in reporting. Half of respondents said they reported fewer than one in ten incidents of abuse to police, and 43% were dissatisfied with the police response to crime.
Ms Allen said: "We cannot tackle the full scale of retail crime if so many incidents go unreported. Workers need to know that speaking up is worth it: that they will be taken seriously, supported and told what happens next."
Commitment to tackling root causes
Ms Allen noted that retail crime is about more than stolen goods, as threats can destroy confidence and repeated intimidation can leave workers dreading their next shift. She highlighted her Police, Crime and Justice Plan, which commits to preventing crime, supporting victims and reducing reoffending.
She also pointed to Durham's Checkpoint programme, which has consistently shown that addressing the root causes of offending can help break the cycle. Ms Allen said: "Enforcement and recovery must work together. Holding someone responsible for their behaviour and helping them stop offending serve the same purpose: fewer crimes and fewer victims and less demand on our criminal justice services."
Ms Allen concluded: "Safer Business Action Week lasts seven days. My commitment lasts all year: to stand alongside shopworkers, tackle the causes of offending and prevent more people suffering harm simply because they went to work."
