Central England Co-op reinforces zero tolerance crime campaign after violent incident
Central England Co-op is reaffirming a campaign that calls for better protection for shopworkers after a violent incident at a shop in Birmingham’s Erdington.
A group of shoplifters attacked staff working at the Marsh Lane store on 11 August and punched one team member in the face during the incident.
Craig Goldie, Central England Co-op loss prevention manager, said: “Everyone at Central England Co-op has been shocked and appalled at this unacceptable incident in Erdington where our colleagues were attacked while just trying to do their job.
“We strongly condemn any form of abuse or violence towards our colleagues and are offering our full support to the entire team at the Marsh Lane store. We are working closely with the local police force to bring the criminals responsible to justice.
“These types of incidents reinforce our ongoing campaign calling for better protection for shopworkers and highlights our zero tolerance policy on all types of crime aimed at our colleagues and customers.”
Central England Co-op has also revealed that 312 crimes related directly to Covid-19 have been recorded in its stores since the start of the pandemic. This has resulted in the roll out of a range of different measures including security assistance buttons and the use of tracking devices in more products to deter would-be thieves.
In addition, the retailer has been working with other major retailers, unions, industry bodies, police and crime commissioners and over 200 MPs to push the Government to crackdown further on violence in stores by introducing tougher penalties such as an automatic prison term.
