EHJ July 2005, pages 8-10

Shop staff are increasingly suffering violence and abuse in their workplace. Stuart Spear looks at what is being done to tackle this, until now, underreported problem

For Mohammed Yousaf Bhatti and his staff racist abuse and the threat of physical violence became a way of life. For two years racist gangs subjected the Sri Lankan workers at the Greenford branch of Kentucky Fried Chicken, in west London, to monthly attacks with little or no support from their employer. "In one attack," explained Mr Bhatti, "a man jumped over the low counter threatening my staff with a broken bottle while others ripped the till out, singing National Front songs and using threatening, foul and racist language. My staff were completely traumatised."

Sadly, if the retail sector's own statistics are any indication of what is going on in Britain's high streets and shopping centres, this type of attack is all too common. The British Retail Consortium's 11th annual retail crime survey shows that between 2002 and 2003 physical attacks on staff rose from 36 to 43 incidents per 100 outlets, while the threat of violence rose from 18 to 47 per 1,000 staff over the same period, a 161 per cent increase. It also seems to be increasingly acceptable for the public to verbally abuse retail staff. Reported incidences of verbal abuse have more than doubled since 2001 rising from 10 incidents per 1,000 staff to 23 in 2003.

For Mr Bhatti and his staff at least one positive outcome emerged from their trauma. Ealing LBC took one of the only successful environmental health prosecutions against a restaurant or retail business for failing to protect staff. KFC was found guilty of not properly assessing risk, of not providing its workers with adequate security measures and of not reporting a Riddor incident after a staff member was off work for two weeks after being hit on the neck and shoulder during an attack.

Since this case in 2002, other local authorities have been looking at how health and safety legislation can be used to protect vulnerable retail and restaurant staff. The retail union Usdaw claims that between 1995 and 2001 shop staff suffered 800,000 incidents of physical violence or threats of verbal abuse. The level of attacks prompted the union to set up its Freedom from fear campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the scale of abuse and looks at practical ways of making the shops safer places to work in.

According to Doug Russell, Usdaw's national health and safety officer, the union wants to promote safer shopping partnerships and is encouraging environmental health departments to get far more involved in stamping out this, until now, hidden problem. "We have been calling on local authorities to get their acts together and start working with community safety advisors who are responsible under the crime and disorder legislation for making shopping centres and parades safer for staff," explains Mr Russell. He believes that retail staff in particular have suffered from the recent lack of investment in health and safety and that the time has come for local authorities to redress the balance.

Since the launch of the campaign in October 2002 local authorities around the country have set up their own retail violence initiatives. Bath and NE Somerset has run a seminar for local shop owners to learn about reporting incidences and good practice. In Camden, EHPs teamed up with crime prevention officers offering advice on risk assessment to shop keepers, while Westmintser LBC received Beacon status for its work with the retail trade.

According to Sara Jones, who heads up Westminster's commercial and environment section, getting accurate information on problem areas was key to the success of their project. The initiative was helped by close links being forged between EHPs and police in the run up to the introduction of the new licensing regime later this year. "We have been using crime statistics but the problem is that a lot of businesses will not report an attack and so the only way we can find out is by crime prevention officers keeping us informed, as they actually go into these premises," explained Ms Jones. Westmintser EHPs found lone workers, licensed premises, late night convenience stores and nightclubs all act as magnets for antisocial behaviour.

"We discovered an issue with small chains of underwear shops where single women were working alone. While reported incidences were very low, staff told crime prevention officers that they were having problems," said Ms Jones. A violence questionnaire allowed EHPs to risk assess premises and so make sure action was taken on subsequent visits. Following the initiative some of the worst premises showed a drop in incidences against staff of between 65 and 85 per cent.

But it is not just staff in small retail outlets that suffer abuse. Larger chains and bigger stores located in areas like Oxford Street are also attracting trouble, especially shoe shops, internet cafes and coffee houses where bag snatchers find it easiest to operate.

With larger chains, the Westminster team found it more efficient to work through head offices. They found that larger stores were tending to issue standard advice to staff and ignoring problems unique to specific branches. Westminster has applied for funding to research how best police and local authorities can work together to combat retail violence.

In Bury, Greater Manchester EHPs are also tackling the issue of retail violence and have over the past six months questioned owners and managers of 300 retail premises in a bid to find out the scale of the problem in their borough. The next step will be to provide premises with in-depth guidance while addressing potential problem areas. "We will be helping them develop their own risk assessment and will be trying to get employers to develop action plans ranging from improving environmental matters to training staff," explains Natasha Franklin, principal EHO at Bury DC who is also doing her MSc dissertation on violence in the retail trade.

Attacks on staff tend to be linked to theft and so premeditated; or the irate customer venting their frustrations. These often require quite different approaches when looking at the risk to staff. Steps can be taken to reduce customer frustration. "We are doing things like talking to managers to make sure that there are enough staff on at peak times so people are not waiting long periods, also making sure staff know procedures for complaints and that they are trained on how to talk to customers," says Ms Franklin. Training is key to handling irate customers so situations can be calmly diffused before situations escalate.

The public also needs to be educated that verbally abusing staff is unacceptable. On the 13 July, Usdaw is planning a respect day, which aims to get over the point that shop staff deserve the same treatment as the rest of us. The British Retail Consortium and Usdaw have also launched a charter of respect. Britain's major retailers are signatories, pledging to promote respect for retail staff and agreeing to adopt a "no tolerance" stance on abusive behaviour. "There should be clear policies ensuring that poor behaviour will not be tolerated," points out Mr Russell. "Anyone persistently being abusive should be barred from stores and legal powers should be used such as injunctions under harassment legislation."

Staff working at night are often seen as easy targets for alcohol fuelled antisocial behaviour, especially around pub closing time. Opening and closing shops are when staff are most at risk and research has revealed that closing up late at night is far more dangerous than closing in the early morning.

Simple precautions can be taken to protect staff such as ensuring well lit access to a shop, making sure staff do not have to open or close up on their own, getting rid of shrubbery around an outlet and ensuring staff are not working alone. Employers should make sure staff can get home on transport safely, that women workers are not feeling vulnerable and that key holders aren't expected to enter premises on their own where there may be a potential assailant.

As for premeditated attacks, this often requires thought, about the way the shop is laid out, its lighting and, in more extreme situations, the use of CCTV cameras (see risk assessment box 1). There is a perception in the retail trade that the sorts of changes expected of them are too expensive. For EHPs doing risk assessment this is often the first preconception, which is necessary to break down, that "smaller retailers are put off from trying to do something because they think it's going to cost hundreds of pounds," explains Mr Russell. "But in practical terms there is a lot you can do in terms of the layout, the position and height of the counter and providing a safe area for staff to be secure from the public."

Another problem cited by national companies is inconsistency in what is expected of them by different local authorities, a particular problem for national chains of off licences. Michael Schuck is chief executive of Action Against Business Crime, an offshoot of the British Retail Consortium, which aims to help retailers form business crime partnerships. It is a complaint that he often hears from retailers. "EHPs are going into the same company's premises in different districts and are making different demands. Staff are being asked to make their counter higher in one area while a hundred miles away they are being asked to do something completely different." He believes that there needs to be far better co-ordination and for the lead authority system to be better applied.

Crime reduction partnerships are proving to be one of the best deterrents against the premeditated criminal. Formed following the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, the partnerships bring police, local businesses, local authorities and other agencies together to tackle crime in town and city centres. Building on this idea, Action Against Business Crime aims to bring businesses together. "Partnerships are starting to play a significant role in local business life," explains Mr Schuck. "E-mails are being sent between businesses about local scams or criminals operating in the area. A lot of problems can be managed more effectively if you remove business from isolation."

But there is a down side. While these partnerships are making our town centres safer, crime is being displaced into secondary locations such as small parades of shops or into the more isolated shops in the suburbs. This is a particular problem for the supermarket chain the Co-op Group, as many of its stores are in these secondary locations where they are seeing an increase in the use of weapons, till snatches, burglaries and verbal abuse to their staff. "There is no clear idea about how to tackle this problem. Police and local authorities need to look at geographical issues rather than just two or three streets," says David Pettitt, head of loss prevention for the Co-op Group. "In our stores the onus is on our staff, what response can we get from the police, what are local authorities prepared to do to help us?" Despite spending £15m in crime prevention measures, the Co-op has still seen a 9 per cent rise in violence against shop staff between 2003 and 2004.

Yet there is one relatively low-cost initiative, which seems to have been a resounding success. High-risk shops in the Co-op Group have been fitted with external speakers allowing staff to play taped "classic style" music. By adjusting the volume, staff can drive gangs of youths away while avoiding confrontation. "Within two to three days the youths were moved away," says Mr Pettitt. "It is like moths to a flame, when the lights are on, they can get a bottle of pop and a bit of warmth, so they can sit outside with their friends. Since this initiative we are no longer seen as an attractive option." The speakers have been installed into 45 stores affected by antisocial behaviour.

But for staff such as Mr Bhatti, who have suffered premeditated racist attacks, more drastic measures will need to be taken before they feel safe at work. Last year, Co-op research showed that in 74 per cent of robberies weapons were used and that staff had suffered 79 per cent more abuse than in the previous year. As evidence grows about staff safety, EHPs are increasingly realising that retail violence is fast becoming a serious health and safety issue.

For further information on Usdaw's Freedom from fear campaign visit: www.usdaw.org.uk. Usdaw also offers advice and information under its helpful resources section.

To contact Natasha Franklin to receive Bury DC's workplace violence pack, e-mail: n.franklin@bury.gov.uk