Shop employees, supply drivers, rail employees face large rise in violence | Politics | News | EUROtoday

A wave of crime and anti-social behaviour is placing supply drivers in danger and difficult new legal guidelines are wanted to maintain them secure, unions have warned. One in eight drivers employed by companies corresponding to Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Asda, Morrisons and Iceland have been assaulted prior to now 12 months, and 1 / 4 have refused to hold out a supply as a result of they feared for his or her security.

Union Usdaw is asking on the federal government to incorporate drivers in legal guidelines to be debated by MPs on Tuesday, which can create a brand new offence of assaulting a shopworker. The measure, within the Government’s Crime and Policing Bill, follows an enormous upsurge in theft and abuse in outlets, but it surely doesn’t embrace folks working for retailers exterior of store premises.

Rail employees have additionally skilled an increase in abuse and violence, and British Transport Police has urged the Government to make sure they’re protected too.

An Usdaw survey of 300 drivers discovered 77% had been a sufferer of abuse prior to now 12 months. A typical flashpoint comes when these delivering gadgets corresponding to alcohol ask for proof of age from the individual receiving the order, as they’re required to do by regulation.

Paddy Lillis, the union’s common secretary, mentioned: “Our members tell us this can be very problematic and they feel vulnerable to attack.”

The Crime and Policing Bill introduces a brand new offence of assaulting a retail employee and scraps laws classifying the theft of things price lower than £200 as “low value” shoplifting.

It comes after the British Retail Consortium, which represents excessive avenue chains and hundreds of smaller outlets, warned retail crime had “skyrocketed” with greater than 2,000 incidents of violence or abuse in opposition to retail employees day-after-day within the UK, up from 1,300 the earlier 12 months.

Home Office Minister Diana Johnson mentioned: “This Government is committed to tackling retail crime. Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.

“Assaults against delivery drivers are already an offence (common assault) under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, and are covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.”

British Transport Police has issued an enchantment for rail employees to be protected in an identical solution to store employees, after 7,405 crimes had been recorded in opposition to the railway workforce final 12 months, together with 3,650 violent offences. In a paper submitted to the House of Commons, the power mentioned: “This Bill seeks to create a new offence of assault of retail worker. British Transport Police support this change however would seek to have similar protections extended to transport workers.”

It added: “Transport workers undertake a number of roles vital to the running of the UK rail network. Unfortunately, a significant number are assaulted in the course of their duties.”