Violence 'will not be tolerated' after Co-op worker hit in face in Lichfield
A woman worker at a Co-op store in Lichfield was hit in the face by an aggressive customer.
The woman, who works at the Co-operative Food branch in Curborough Road, was struck after asking a male customer for a piece of ID.
The customer, who had tried to buy age-restricted products, pushed her out of the way and threatened others before leaving.
Police were called to the scene in the aftermath of the incident, with workers supporting officers with their investigation.
Central England Co-op said violence and aggression towards staff would "not be tolerated" after the incident on Thursday night.
Craig Goldie, loss prevention manager, said: "Everyone at Central England Co-op has been shocked and appalled at this unacceptable incident in Lichfield.
"It is totally unacceptable for a colleague to be injured in any way, shape or form when doing their job and we are offering full support to them and the entire team and working closely with the local police force to bring the criminals responsible to justice.
Protection
"We strongly condemn any form of abuse or violence towards our colleagues who are just doing their job. These types of incidents reinforce our ongoing campaign calling for better protection for shop-workers and highlights our zero tolerance policy on all types of crime aimed at our colleagues and customers.
"Once again, we are sending a clear message out to anyone who might consider targeting our colleagues and stores – it is not worth the risk and no crime will be tolerated."
Police were called to the scene in the aftermath of the incident and an investigation has been launched. It comes as the Co-op called on the Government to introduce tougher penalties.
New research over the past year has shown incidents of verbal abuse jumped by 167 per cent, anti-social behaviour rose by 39 per cent, assaults by 35 per cent and threats by 16 per cent compared to 2019, Co-op said.
The retailer also revealed that 312 crimes related directly to Covid-19 have been recorded in stores since the start of the pandemic.
It has also 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 those who abuse or attack shop-workers via the introduction of tougher penalties such as an automatic prison term.
