The British Retail Consortium and retail trade union, Usdaw, have called for the Crime and Policing Bill to offer legal protections for supermarket delivery drivers, as the Bill reaches Committee stage at the House of Commons.
The Bill, which will impact England and Wales, is set to make abuse and violence against shopworkers a standalone crime, as is already the case in Scotland. Usdaw and BRC have pushed for the protection to be extended to delivery drivers, who are required to conduct age verification checks before deliveries can be completed. The union says that this can be a real flashpoint for abuse, threats and violence, and they deserve the same protection that their in-store colleagues will have.
At the second reading of the Bill in the House of Commons, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced “a stringent two-step age verification system for online knife sales, so that customers have to submit photo ID at the point of purchase and again on delivery. It will be a legal requirement to hand a package containing a knife to the buyer alone.”
Addressing the Committee, alongside representatives from BRC and Co-op Group, Chris Morris, Usdaw deputy head of research, said: “Delivery drivers have to make age verification checks when delivering alcohol and other age-restricted products, which can cause issues of violence, threats and abuse. Order substitutions can also cause customer frustration. So, we would want to see these workers covered by the new law as well. This is something we will continue to engage with the Government on, to ensure the Bill is as effective as possible.”
Paddy Lillis, Usdaw general secretary, said: “Usdaw fully supports the Government’s determination to tighten up the regulation of the online sale of knives. Having seen the horrors of the Southport murders and knowing that the weapons used in this atrocity were ordered online, it is absolutely crucial that more is done to safeguard against underage sales. So, we look forward to seeing what amendments the Government brings forward.
“Crucial in the process is the role of the delivery driver, who will be doing the second age verification on the customer’s doorstep. These checks also apply to all age-restricted products, including alcohol and tobacco. Our members tell us this can be very problematic and they feel vulnerable to attack. The Crime and Policing Bill includes a much-needed protection of retail workers’ law, but it isn’t clear that this will apply to delivery drivers. So, we are looking for the Government to clarify that those important protections don’t only apply to in-store workers.”
