Shoplifters who assault staff face six months in jail under dedicated new offence
SHOPLIFTING thugs who assault staff face six months in jail under a dedicated new offence.
A package of measures to tackle the epidemic of store thieving has today been announced by the Home Office.
It includes increased tagging for repeat offenders and a mass rollout of high-tech facial recognition cameras in shops.
The specific new crime for attacking retail workers will be punishable by up to six months in prison or an unlimited fine.
Yobs convicted of the offence will also be handed a Criminal Behaviour Order banning them from returning to that shop.
PM Rishi Sunak said last night: “I am sending a message to those criminals – whether they are serious organised criminal gangs, repeat offenders or opportunistic thieves – who think they can get away with stealing from these local businesses or abusing shopworkers, enough is enough.
“Our local shops are the lifeblood of our communities, and they must be free to trade without the threat of crime or abuse.”
Shop workers have hit out at the rise in violence from thieves increasingly targeting their shelves.
Many bosses despair that the police do not bother turning up to their reports of shoplifting, which costs the industry £1billion a year.
Shoplifting hit “epidemic levels” last year with a total 365,164 offences recorded by cops.
An amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill will force louts to wear an electronic tag if convicted of assaulting staff or shoplifting on three separate occasions.
Ministers have earmarked £55million over the next four years for “state of the art” facial recognition technology.
It includes £4million for roving mobile units to be deployed to high streets and flush out repeat shoplifters.
Helen Dickinson of the British Retail Consortium welcomed the announcement: “After relentless campaigning for a specific offence for assaulting retail workers, the voices of the three million people working in retail are finally being heard.”