Stop Demanding New Laws!

Start demanding that the existing ones are used properly. 

The retailers, who also include the bosses of Aldi, Primark and Superdrug, call for the creation of a new UK-wide aggravated offence of assaulting or abusing a retail worker – as already exists in Scotland – which would carry tougher sentences and require police to record all incidents of retail crime and allow the allocation of more resources.

You're all idiots. Have you any idea how long it takes to get new legislation passed? Most of your shops will have closed down by the time it's on the books. 

“The police consistently tell us that a lack of data about these offences means they have no visibility about the nature or scale of the issue,” the letter says.

Well, they are clearly lying, aren't they? As their own data shows:

Meanwhile, the police’s own data for one major retailer shows that forces failed to respond to 73% of serious retail crimes that were reported...

What that letter should be urging is for them to start using the laws they already have. Not requesting new ones for them to ignore.  

Helen Dickinson, the chief executive of the BRC, which helped organise the letter to Braverman, said: “It is vital that action is taken before the scourge of retail crime gets any worse. We are seeing organised gangs threatening staff with weapons and emptying stores. We are seeing violence against colleagues who are doing their job and asking for age verification. We are seeing a torrent of abuse aimed at hardworking shop staff. It’s simply unacceptable – no one should have to go to work fearing for their safety. We need government to stand with the millions of retail workers who kept us safe and fed during the pandemic – and support them, as those workers supported us.”

All of those things are already crimes. Making them 'extra special super duper crimes' will take too long and still not help.  

You want to force the government's hand? Stop paying the bastards. No more cushy sinecure jobs for ex-Ministers or MPs. No more donations to the party. Starve them.