SUPERMARKET bosses have criticised police attitudes to violence against shop workers as they welcomed plans to make attacks on staff a criminal offence.
The Co-Operative group has submitted evidence to a Holyrood committee, in response to a bill tabled by Labour MSP Daniel Johnson to strengthen safety measures for retail workers.
In its written submission, the supermarket stresses that violence and abuse towards shop workers is “at levels never before seen”
The organisation has pointed the finger at Police Scotland for not taking attacks on workers seriously.
It adds: “The lack of effective response is driving a belief across shop workers that abuse and violence against them is not taken seriously by the police.
"Indeed, there is widespread belief among shop workers that the level of abuse and violence is something that are expected to accept as part of the job and is not taken seriously.
“We believe that the resources available to Police Scotland should reflect a greater priority for tackling retail crime and especially abuse and violence toward shop workers to deliver a more effective response.”
The Scottish Grocers Federation said the new bill is a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to make shops in Scotland safer for staff”.
An anonymous shopworker in Glasgow told the Usdaw union that a “shoplifter tried to headbutt and kick me whilst he was being detained” and he “threatened to find my family using social media and slash their faces”.
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Another retail worker in Stenhousemuir told the union that “his scotch pie was not hot, he threw it back at me, and it hit my face”.
Research by the Co-Op found that over the last three years, crime in the company’s Scottish stores has risen from 379 incidents in the first quarter of 2016 to 1,919 incidents in the third quarter of 2019.
A study by the British Retail Consortium last year found that there are 273 violent of abusive incidents in shops every day.
Police Scotland, which has also welcomed the bill being introduced, has moved to reassure workers that it takes all crime seriously.
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A force spokesperson said: "Police Scotland supports the position that everyone deserves a safe environment to live and work in.
"All complaints of threats, intimidation and violence towards retail workers are taken seriously by Police Scotland and are thoroughly investigated. We would encourage anyone, employee or employer, to contact police if they have been a victim of this type of crime.
"All workers, regardless of occupation or business sector, should be able carry out their roles without fear of crime.
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