Trade union Usdaw has welcomed an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that would extend the offence of assaulting a retail worker to home delivery drivers and riders.
Tabled by Labour MP Anneliese Midgley, the new clause could be considered next week during the remaining stages of the bill in the House of Commons, depending on which amendments the speaker selects for debate.
It comes as Usdaw found 77% of over 300 retail delivery drivers, employed by the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Ocado, had fallen victim to abuse in the past year.
Its survey also revealed that 13% had been assaulted, while 26% refused a delivery due to fear for their own personal safety.
If the new amendment is passed by Parliament, it would make it easier for authorities to investigate and prosecute offenders who assault delivery drivers while going about their job – such as asking for customer ID for age-restricted sales. They could also face tougher penalties.
Making it a standalone offence would also send “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 on the frontline.
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.”
The Crime and Policing Bill also sets to introduce a new legal requirement on drivers to verify a customer’s age when delivering knives ordered online.
“We welcome the amendment tabled by Anneliese Midgley MP, which complements the government’s determination to tighten up the regulation of the online sale of knives,” said Usdaw general secretary Paddy Lillis.
“Usdaw fully supports this much-needed legislation, particularly after the horrors of the Southport murders, and knowing that the weapons used in this atrocity were ordered online, it is absolutely crucial that more is done to safeguard against underage sales.
“Important in tightening up the process is the role of the delivery driver, who is legally required to conduct a final age verification on the customer’s doorstep. These checks also apply to all age-restricted products, including alcohol and tobacco. Our members tell us this can be very problematic and they feel vulnerable to attack.
“The Crime and Policing Bill includes a much-needed protection of retail workers’ law which we believe should apply to all retail staff. When Parliament places additional responsibilities on delivery workers to police much-needed laws on age verification, it is only right that Parliament legislates to provide additional protections for delivery workers.”
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