Shop workers are experiencing severe mental health consequences, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and long-term anxiety, due to a rise in violent retail crime, according to a report by City, University of London.
The study, funded by the Co-op, reveals that more than 42,000 assaults or threats were recorded in the industry in 2018. Home Office data shows the number of incidents per 1,000 premises rose from 524 in 2016 to 1,433 in 2017. The British Retail Consortium says around 115 workers face threats or assaults every day.
Dr Emmeline Taylor, the report's author, said government action is "urgently needed" to protect staff. The research identifies four main scenarios leading to violence: encountering shoplifters, enforcing age restrictions, hate-crime incidents, and armed or unarmed robberies.
Jean-Marie Hughes, a former retail worker who now helps colleagues overcome traumatic events, told researchers of incidents involving axes, needles, machetes, and knives. "I know of colleagues that have been dragged through their store, who have had knives held to their throats," she said. The impact, she added, lasts a lifetime, affecting workers, their families, and communities.
Dr Taylor, a criminologist, interviewed both store workers and perpetrators. She noted that the constant abuse and fear of violence cause some workers to change shifts, leave their jobs, or quit the sector entirely.
