Retail crime bill goes before Parliament – but it doesn’t include delivery drivers
The government’s crime and policing bill will go before Parliament today, February 25, but detractors have said it does not go far enough to protect delivery drivers.
Although delivery drivers do not qualify as retail employees due to their status as self-employed, a group of businesses have campaigned to extend the bill’s scope to cover gig economy workers.
“It’s time for the Government to act and send a clear message: abuse against delivery riders will not be tolerated,” over 30 restaurants said in a letter to the Home Secretary.
The Crime and Policing Bill, which will mostly apply in England and Wales, so far includes over 50 measures, including stricter penalties for shoplifting items under £200 and making assaulting a shop worker a new offence.
However, a group that described delivery drivers as “integral” to the UK’s retail and hospitality industries said the Government must extend the scope of the offence so it applies to the entire duration of a purchase—not just to retail workers in shops.
Deliveroo, architect of the campaign, also called on the Government to “make clear in the legislation that restaurants and other hospitality settings are included in the definition of a ‘retail premises’”.
Other aspects of the crime bill include new “Respect Orders”, which will give police and councils extra powers to “crack down on repeated anti-social behaviour”.
Last month, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) warned that losses from customer theft reached a record £2.2bn, while retail violence and abuse increased over 50 per cent to more than 2,000 incidents a day.
Deliveroo has similarly reported a 28 per cent increase in abusive incidents toward riders in the last six months.
“There are real people behind these numbers – people who face physical and verbal assault, racism, sexism and theft,” the letter said.
“It’s time for the Government to act and send a clear message: abuse against delivery riders will not be tolerated.”
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the BRC, said: Government must ensure the new standalone offence applies to everyone working in consumer-facing roles in retail, not just those working in physical stores.”
“Delivery drivers are an essential part of everyday life, connecting communities and ensuring people receive the goods they rely on. What they have to face for simply doing their job is completely unacceptable.
The signatories of the letter are:
- Will Shu, CEO, Deliveroo
- Alan Morgan, CEO, The Big Table Group (Bella Italia, Café Rouge, Las Iguanas, Frankie & Benny’s, Chiquito, Banana Tree, Amalfi, Filling Station, Coast to Coast, Est Italian)
- Chris Sherriff, CEO, Wingstop
- Chris Holmes, chief development officer, Pizza Express
- Charlotte Exell, online director, Morrisons
- Thom Elliot, co-founder, Pizza Pilgrims
- Patrick Marrinan, CEO, Pho
- Lucy Milne, marketing director, Dishoom
- Mo Han, founder, Asia Villa
- Florian de Chezelles, co-founder, The Salad Project
- Tim Thornton, founder, Base Face Pizza
- Jae Cho, CEO, Maguro
- Jason Balsam, founder, Kiyoto Sushi
- Sam Akhtar, founder, Now Peri Peri
- Ajay Gupta, founder, Aamcha Eastern Kitchen
- André Martins, CEO, Zocalo
- Milan Kovacevich, founder, BONA Pizza
- Emily Teh, CEO, Zambrero
- Ercan Aksu, founder, Kervan Sofrasi
- Kaysar Miah, founder, Brentwood Spice
- Hakan Kilic, MD, Brill Burger
- Joshua Simons, co-founder, chicken & Blues
- Lapman Ma, founder, Chick ‘N’ Bao
- Duka Nagy, director, Smoke BBQ
- Adam Parnell, MD, Sinple Treats