Central Co-op calls on gov to address ‘alarming rise’ in retail crime

Central Co-op is encouraging its members and customers to write to their local MPs and advocate for legislative reform that will help to criminalise assaults on shopworkers. It comes as the British Retail Consortium (BRC) recently reported that incidents of violence and abuse in retail environments have increased to over 1,300 per day, while theft has more than doubled to 16.7 million. In light of this, Central Co-op has released a white paper addressing the “alarming rise” of retail crime across its trading estate. The report “outlines the stark realities faced by shopworkers and retailers, calling for urgent legislative reform to protect frontline workers and communities”. Central Co-op saw a 59% increase in retail crime in 2023, prompting the society to write 34 letters to MPs and host 10 MP and Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) visits at stores that had undergone an assault, including in Derby, Norwich, Peterborough, Nottingham, Leicester, Chesterfield and Birmingham. The white paper highlights key statistics and insights, including the Co-operative Group’s latest 10-point plan to tackle retail crime and findings from the 2024 BRC report, which revealed a “significant” increase in incidents of violence, abuse and theft. One of the central proposals outlined in the white paper is a crucial amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill, which seeks to criminalise assaults on shopworkers. Central Co-op is urging MPs to support the “vital amendment” and is calling on PCC candidates to pledge their commitment to tackling retail crime. Sarah Dickins, chief people officer at Central Co-op, said: “The safety and wellbeing of our colleagues will always be paramount to us. No one should have to fear threats, violence or abuse, and the fact this is increasing across the retail industry in our society is unacceptable. “We continue to invest in measures to keep our colleagues safe, whilst offering the best in-store experience we can for our members and customers. We’re working with law enforcement as well as local MPs to campaign for change together by amending the Criminal Justice Bill and hope that together, as an industry, we can make this meaningful difference to all retail workers.”