A proposed amendment that would extend the offence of assaulting a retail worker to home delivery drivers and riders will not be included in the Crime and Policing Bill currently heading to the House of Lords.
Trade unions, Deliveroo, Morrisons and several major UK food outlets backed the amendment, which would create a new standalone offence of assaulting a delivery person while on duty.
“Delivery workers are on the frontline too,” said Anneliese Midgley MP, who tabled the amendment in the House of Commons on Wednesday. “They deserve the protection that the government is rightly offering to staff in stores.”
“When Parliament places extra responsibilities on delivery staff, to police much-needed laws on age verification, Parliament should legislate to provide additional protections for them,” she added.
While the amendment was not voted on, Midgley urged government ministers to meet with unions, trade bodies and employer unions to consider the issue “in more detail”.
Research by Usdaw found 77% of more than 300 retail delivery drivers surveyed, employed by the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Asda, Morrisons and Iceland, had fallen victim to abuse in the past year.
The survey also found that 13% had been assaulted, while 26% refused a delivery due to fear for their own personal safety.
One catalyst for abuse is the fact delivery drivers and riders are legally required to conduct a final age verification on the customer’s doorstep for purchases of alcohol and tobacco.
“Our members tell us this can be very problematic and they feel vulnerable to attack,” said Usdaw general secretary Paddy Lillis.
Deliveroo, alongside industry partners and riders, had been campaigning on the issue as part of its ‘Right to Ride Safely’ campaign. The aggregator app said the campaign had been launched in response to an increase in reports of abusive incidents, including physical assaults, theft, and verbal harassment towards riders.
Making delivery driver abuse a standalone offence would have sent “a strong message about how unacceptable assaulting retail staff is”, Usdaw said.
“I tried to refuse a delivery once due to the customer’s unchecked aggression. He then ripped the shopping from my hands, hit me, chased me down the road, kept yelling and swearing while coming after me,” said one delivery driver.
Another said: “I once made a delivery to a house where the son answered. I asked for identification as he was young, so his mum came down the stairs shouting and screaming at me saying I don’t need to see his identification.”
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