Labour has said it will press ahead with legislation that would make assaults on retail workers a specific offence.
The change in the law, which had been proposed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government, was shelved when Parliament was dissolved ahead of the July 4 general election.
However, Alex Norris, the current shadow minister for policing, believes the crime will be introduced to the statute books in “the near future”.
Speaking at the annual conference of the Federation of Independent Retailers in Birmingham on June 17, Norris said: “We were just weeks away from establishing the standalone offence, but I believe that in the near future we will achieve that change.”
Responding to the question as to why retail workers – rather than bus drivers or council workers – deserved to be singled out by legislation, he added: “The difference is, you as retailers are asked by the government to enforce the law on things like alcohol sales, which are potential flashpoints for verbal or physical confrontations, and I believe we have a responsibility to have your backs for those moments.”
Norris also said that, if his party is elected, a Sir Keir Starmer-led government would make it a priority to scrap the so called £200 rule, whereby some police forces do not pursue cases where a theft is valued below £200.
“There is no acceptable level of value when it comes to crime,” he said.
