My Lords, I offer strong support for adding a new power to this Bill to try to stop the disgraceful assaults on retail workers. I am glad that speaking today links me to my old friends at the trade union USDAW and the British Retail Consortium. I own some retail shares, notably in my previous employer, Tesco, and I should also refer to my register of interests.
It has been a very difficult 18 months for store workers. They have been the heroes of Covid, responding magnificently by keeping food on the shelves and delivered to our homes throughout. They have had to keep going relentlessly and cope with the bewildering array of changing Covid rules and regulations, often at a time when they are short-staffed because of the impact of the pandemic.
Nearly 3 million shop workers face a rising threat of violence as a result of customer anger at mask wearing, shortages and irritating or changing store guidance on Covid. This has added to assaults from those challenged for trying to buy alcohol, knives and so on illegally, and also attacks from shoplifters. I remember well dealing with what is probably now a relatively minor case when I was working in Tesco at Brixton. The woman concerned had several jars of coffee up her trousers and struggled and bit as we tackled her.
As the noble Lord, Lord Coaker, mentioned in his compelling speech running through the long history of this problem, the British Retail Consortium says there were 455 incidents a day at stores in 2020, despite a huge investment in security measures such as body cameras, guards and panic alarms. A lot of this is related to wider criminal activity such as knife crime and drug-taking. It is a real worry for small shops: attacks can affect their viability and contribute to the disturbing rate of high street shop closures. It is also a huge issue for the larger retailers, which is why so many of their CEOs, including those of various Co-op groups, have come together to call for action in a recent letter to the Prime Minister. I will give an example: when I approached Tesco for an update, it said it faced over 1 million criminal incidents in 2020-21 and estimated that, on current trends, this would increase by another 20% this year unless something was done.
8.45 pm
I was struck by an especially frightening case. A male wearing a black mask and armed with a BB gun— these replicas are horrifically lifelike and available very
cheaply on the internet—approached two members of staff who were setting a store alarm. He forced them inside and shots were fired as he made them open the tills. He took cash and two bottles of spirits. The male worker was cut on his face and head and the female on her chest. I fear that this is an increasingly common story of life in Britain and a real threat to retail.
The truth is that little attention is paid to the troubles of our millions of retail employees, who are some of the less fortunate and less fashionable members of society. If a 10th of the number of steel-workers were at risk, I know that something would be done immediately. We have had startling evidence from the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee report and an assurance from Victoria Atkins MP, during the passage of this Bill through the other place in July, that the validity of our concerns was recognised and the Government would consider an amendment in the House of Lords.
We need to act this very day. What I am proposing, therefore, in Amendment 264, is to increase the maximum sentence available to the courts in cases of assault, battery, threatening or abusive behaviour, or intentional harassment, from six months to two years. This would apply to any person providing a retail service to the public.
I have built on an existing formula and offence because I thought that I detected, from what was said in the Commons, that this was more likely to appeal to Her Majesty’s Government than a new provision, and I am grateful to our Bill clerk for helping me to design the amendment. I emphasise, however, that I would be entirely happy with Amendment 263 instead, if that were to find favour with the Minister.
The key point is that something must be done—and done now. I am glad that the need for action has been widely recognised, and in particular I thank the noble Lord, Lord Coaker, for his support and for what he has already said about Amendment 263. I am also pleased that the noble Lord, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, has signed my amendment.
A three-pronged approach to the problem of assault in retail is needed. The first prong is investment by retailers in safety and prevention. This has already happened—£1.2 billion according to the BRC—and will continue. The second is stronger legislative backing, which both amendments would provide. The third is close working with the police. If we can create a more serious offence that is appropriate to the harm done, more detail specific to retail would be collected and the police would do more: respond more often and collaborate better with this vital, if unfashionable, sector. We would be levelling up.