Violence Against Uk Store Workers Triples Amid Pandemic

Violence and mistreatment of UK shop workers nearly tripled during the coronavirus pandemic. About 1,300 such incidents took place in the United Kingdom every day between March 2020 and March 2021, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) retail trade association (BRC) reports based on a study.

 

About one in ten violent incidents in the country involved violence against store employees. Only 4 percent of these cases resulted in a conviction.

Most violent incidents took place in essential stores, such as supermarkets and drugstores. These stores were open, while the non-essential stores were forced to close during the country’s national lockdowns.

“These numbers are particularly grim, as they came at the peak of the pandemic when the retail ‘hidden heroes’ were working tirelessly,” said Helen Dickinson, the BRC’s CEO. “It’s shocking that this huge increase in incidents happened in a smaller number of stores, as much of the sector was in lockdown.”

A UK study, published last week, also found that one in five store workers plans to retire due to financial worries, customer abuse and poor mental health during the pandemic. In addition, a quarter of managers want to leave the sector.

In addition to an emotional and physical impact, the corona pandemic also had financial consequences for the sector, according to the BRC. In one year, the retail sector suffered £1.5 billion in damage as a result of the crime. Some £663 million was lost to theft and £714 million was spent on crime prevention.