Leeds Co-op staff face shoplifting violence daily, says manager

David Brook, store manager at the Co-op in Burley Street, Leeds, says staff are affected by shoplifting every day

The manager of a Co-op store in Leeds says his staff have been threatened with needles and knives as the "worst levels of shoplifting" hit the area.

David Brook told the BBC that workers in the Burley Street store felt unsafe as they were "blighted daily" by violence.

The Co-op wants abuse of shop workers to become a specific criminal offence.

Alison Lowe, the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime in West Yorkshire, said the attacks were "unacceptable".

Mr Brook said: "It's not petty theft or someone filling their fridge, it is organised career criminals that are feeding their habit by selling them on.

"We've got people who are walking in our stores with large bags and sacks, clothing where you can hide the product within the clothing and completely clearing our shelves of items that are high-value that they can sell on - laundry detergents, coffee, meats, cigarettes, alcohol, anything like that is free game for these people."

• Violence against Co-op shop workers rises sharply

He added that staff members' safety was at risk as "you'll have people coming in the store and ransacking the shelves and then threatening you on the way out with a needle, knife, razors or hammers".

'Repercussions can be life-changing'

"It's horrible because you don't know which way it's going to go and ultimately if someone stabs you with a needle, the repercussions of that can be completely life-changing. That's not what we come to work to do, we come to serve the community and sadly our colleagues are blighted by this daily," he said.

The Co-op said there were 1,325 physical attacks on staff in stores last year - up 34% compared with 2022.

The chain added a Freedom of Information request showed police had failed to respond to 71% of serious retail crimes reported.

In November last year, the government announced a new Retail Crime Action Plan, which promised to directly address the problem and ensure that police attended and investigated all incidents.

Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds' Message the Mayor show, Ms Lowe said shoplifting had become a priority for police in West Yorkshire.

"There's now a thing called GoodSAM, where instead of police going to businesses to get CCTV, businesses can just upload things immediately on the portal, which can be more quick when dealing with prolific offenders," she said.

West Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Damien Miller said: "The force is working at both a force and district level to catch, convict and deter offenders, whilst engaging with retailers to ensure effective crime prevention and security measures are in place."