The government’s Crime and Policing Bill is being introduced today, including legislation to create a standalone offence of attacking and abusing a shopworker.
This marks a victory co-op retailers who – alongside unions and other retail organisations – have been campaigning for a new law for eight years, prompted by spiralling levels of theft and violent abuse of store workers.
The government also plans to scrap a 2014 law that classified shoplifting of items worth under £200 as less serious than other retail theft – making them less of a priority for the police.
Welcoming the news in a post on LinkedIn, Co-op Group campaigns director Paul Gerrard said: “The Co-op has campaigned for this moment for eight years and during that time we have hosted hundreds of MP, done thousands of interviews, given evidence to Parliament at every opportunity and become the leading business and retail voice on the issue.
“Like every campaign we run, we do so in partnership and it has been a privilege to be able to work with and support Paddy Lillis and Usdaw Union on this campaign.”
He added: “Of course, we need to make sure the criminal justice intervention is the right one that prevents re-offending which may be a custodial sentence but very often will not be. However, as we have learnt from Scotland, a standalone offence means a better police response and will keep shopworkers safer.
“That is why we did it – to keep colleagues safe.
“It is also – after eight years – very gratifying as a public affairs professional to hear the policing minister call out both Usdaw and the Co-op as the reason they are creating that standalone offence.”
The legislation is part of a sweeping reform of policing with 50 new laws proposed, including a new power for police to raid homes without warrants if tracing tech shows there are stolen items, such as phones, inside, new Asbo-style respect orders, and a specific law against spiking of drinks.
Announcing the measures, home secretary Yvette Cooper said they would “take back our town centres from antisocial behaviour, thugs and thieves”, adding: “We will never write off the crimes that make people scared to go out.”
The government plans to back up the new laws with the recruitment of 13,000 additional neighbourhood officers by 2029.
This will be funded with an extra £200m, says the Home Office, but some forces say they will have to cut officer numbers as budgets tighten.
After the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC ) said last year that forces faced a £1.3bn funding shortfall, the Home Office said it will put £1.1bn extra into policing up to April 2026.
