Shoplifting had more than doubled since the pandemic according to Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) statistics. Credit ArieStudio/Shutterstock.

Retail staff and employers in Northern Ireland are advocating for the implementation of a law to safeguard shop workers amid rising levels of retail crime.

The initiative follows a significant increase in retail crime, with the Police Service of Northern Ireland reporting that incidents of shoplifting have more than doubled since the pandemic.  

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Usdaw’s latest survey of 5,500 retail staff across the UK revealed that 18% experienced violent attacks in 2023, compared to 8% in 2022.  

60% of respondents attributed the violence, threats and abuse they experienced to shoplifting or armed robbery.  

The British Retail Consortium’s Crime Survey echoes these findings, stating that incidents of violence and abuse against retail staff surged to more than 1,300 per day in the fiscal year 2022 to 2023.   

In a letter to UK Minister of Justice Naomi Long, the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium and retail trade union Usdaw called for support from the Northern Ireland Assembly for a law similar to the one recently included in the King’s speech for England and Wales. 

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Usdaw general secretary Paddy Lillis said: “It is deeply disturbing for our members to see a doubling in theft from shops. Shoplifting has long been a major flashpoint for violence and abuse against shop workers. The case for a separate criminal offence for abusing or assaulting a retail worker is clear, with Usdaw’s survey showing that physical assaults are at an all-time high. We fear retail crime is in danger of becoming normalised if action is not taken.” 

“A separate criminal offence will ensure greater visibility and awareness of the scale of the problem, prioritisation and resourcing from the police, and certainty from courts and will send a clear message […] that abuse and attacks against retail workers are wholly unacceptable. It will also allow the tracking of the data around cases as they progress through the criminal justice system.”