Co-op says staff and customers should never face violence after elderly lady shoved by shoplifter with bag of stolen meat at Wakefield store

A customer at the Co-op in Outwood said he witnessed a pensioner being shoved out of the way by a shoplifter carrying a bag of stolen meat.

He said he has seen repeated instances of goods being stolen at the store.

The company backed its security measures and said the safety of customers and staff was its main concern.

A spokesperson for the Co-op said: “The safety of our Co-op colleagues is a key priority and we know that shoplifting can quickly escalate into violence and abuse.

"Crime affects all retailers, and the latest data shows over 850 incidents of violence and abuse each day across the industry.

“Our colleagues should not put themselves in harm’s way, as we believe nobody should encounter violence in the workplace, and it is important that businesses, law enforcement and the public work together.

“Across its stores Co-op uses wide-ranging measures to deter crime, including the latest CCTV, body-worn cameras; communication headsets for all frontline colleagues and, covert and non-covert guarding and security.”

The figures cited by the Co-op were from the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) annual crime survey 2023.

Retail trade union Usdaw published statistics from its yearly survey of nearly 3,500 retail staff, which said that in the last 12 months 90 per cent have experienced verbal abuse, 64 per cent were threatened by a customer, 12 per cent were assaulted, and 61 per cent said they were not confident that reporting abuse, threats and violence would make a difference.

Paddy Lillis, Usdaw general secretary, said: "Violence and abuse is not an acceptable part of the job and it is truly horrific that shopworkers are having to face it on a daily basis.

“It is shocking that 9 in 10 of our members working in retail are suffering abuse from customers, with far too many experiencing threats and violence.

"Particularly concerning is the one-third increase in assaults, up from 9 per cent in 2020 to 12 per cent in 2021.

"So it is extremely worrying that nearly two-thirds are not confident that reporting these issues will make any difference.