Police record rise in attacks on shop staff across Essex

A total of 11 retail workers across Essex have reported being attacked in the past fortnight

A senior police officer has vowed to take action against people who assault retail workers.

Essex Police said on Tuesday that officers had secured 14 charges relating to assaults on retail staff over the past fortnight alone.

A total of 14 workers across Essex had reported being attacked in this period.

Sgt Christian Denning said: "Staff should feel safe when they are at work and customers should feel safe when they are shopping.

He added: "No-one goes to work expecting to be assaulted but, nationally, we are seeing a rise in assaults on shop staff."

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Figures released by the police showed 454 arrests on suspicion of theft from a shop have been made since 1 January.

They included suspects detained in Colchester, Chelmsford and Southend-on-Sea.

Assaulting a shop worker will be made a separate criminal offence in England and Wales as part of a government response to a wave of retail crime.

Earlier this year a report found violent and abusive incidents against shop workers nationally rose by 50% in 2022-23.

"We will work hard to obtain charges where we have the evidence to build a case," Mr Denning, of Essex Police's business crime team, added.