After extensive lobbying by the retail industry, including the British Retail Consortium, the Association of Convenience Stores and the Co-op Group, it was announced in the recent King’s Speech that the issue of assaults on shop staff will be addressed with an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill.

Incidents of shoplifting have hit record levels, with more than 430,000 offences reported to the police last year – a jump of 32% over the previous 12 months