Key Facts

• Kennedy Talbot is a barrister at 33 Chancery Lane.
• The Public Accounts Committee report in March found that 41% of crime is fraud, but only 1% of reports to Action Fraud result in judicial proceedings.
• There are approximately 900,000 reports made to Action Fraud annually.
• Violence and abuse against retail workers has nearly doubled since pre-pandemic levels.
• There are around 450 incidents per day pre-pandemic, increasing to around 850 per day during the pandemic.
• The issue is prevalent across various types of businesses including food, clothing, fashion, and beauty.
• The cost of shoplifting has reached £1 billion annually for employers.
• Over 3 million retail workers in the UK face abuse, threats, and violence.
• A survey found that 62% of respondents experienced verbal abuse, 56% were threatened, and 5% were physically assaulted.
• There was a nearly doubling of shoplifting and violent incidents towards staff during the pandemic.
• In Scotland, since introducing a specific offence for retail crime in 2021, there have been 6,000 additional police investigations.
• Co-op Group reports a 44% rise in crime incidents, 36% rise in violence incidents, and 38% rise in abuse incidents.
• Serious offenders often face low penalties such as £200 fines.
• The police fail to attend 70% of reported serious incidents in England and Wales.
• Shoplifting is causing £1 billion of stock loss annually.
• Assaults against retail workers have unacceptable levels.
• The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 introduced statutory aggravating factors for assaults on public-facing workers.
• The retail crime action plan aims to ensure police attendance at serious incidents.
• Paul Gerrard welcomes the plan but notes current non-compliance with commitments.
• Scotland has over 6,000 investigated cases under their stand-alone offence system.
• There are about 1,000 incidents of abuse or assault against retail workers every day.
• The British Retail Consortium is working to raise awareness of the data requirements for police systems to enable appropriate responses.
• Assaults on public-facing workers, including retail workers, are considered statutory aggravating factors under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.
• Over 90 chief executives signed a letter to the Home Secretary expressing concerns about the impact on their businesses.
• Retailers have spent £1 billion on security measures in the past year, with some investing significantly more than others.
• Operation Pegasus is funded by retail businesses and aims to improve coordination across different parts of the police force.
• Clause 24 in the Criminal Justice Bill encapsulates one of Clare Wade's recommendations.
• The legislation aims to address the harms associated with domestic homicide, particularly the escalation of abuse when a victim attempts to leave the relationship.
• Coercive control is recognised as an aggravating factor that courts can consider during sentencing.
• The current sentencing framework includes a 25-year starting point for taking a weapon to the scene with intent to use it.
• Domestic murders have a 15-year starting point on average.
• Overkill is identified as a significant harm in domestic murder cases.
• Strangulation is recommended as an aggravating factor due to its gendered nature.
• Clauses 11 and 12 address offences related to encouraging and assisting serious self-harm by victims.
• Clare Wade supports the provision for scenarios involving domestic abuse, particularly in cases where individuals are trapped in relationships due to mental health or entrapment issues.
• The Committee will meet again at 11:30 am on Thursday 11 January.
• The current session was ordered to be adjourned.