Violence and abuse against shopworkers more than trebled during the first year of the pandemic, according to the latest Crime Survey from the British Retail Consortium.
There were an average of 1,301 reported incidents of abuse and violent crime each day between March 2020 and March 2021, up from 455 the previous year.
The massive increase was despite non-essential stores being closed for much of the year.
BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “These figures make particularly grim reading as they came at the height of the pandemic when the ‘hidden heroes’ of retail were working tirelessly to look after customers, keep shelves stocked, and ensure orders were fulfilled.”
“It is shocking that this huge rise in incidents took place in a smaller pool of stores and other locations as much of the industry was in lockdown. As our colleagues implemented Covid safety measures to keep the public safe, too many were met with hostility, abuse, threats, and assault.”
Dickinson added: “Violence must never be a part of the job. Those retail colleagues affected are our parents, our partners, and our children, and they have suffered needlessly, just for doing their job. They can bear the emotional scars and carry the trauma for the rest of their lives.
“It is vital that the amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill helps to deter perpetrators, but this will require the police to take action and improve their response to incidents’