Ashfield MP and New Sutton West Councillor Call For Action To Protect Shopworkers

The call for action comes following yet another violent incident at the Central Co-op petrol station on Huthwaite Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield.

Lee Anderson MP & Cllr Terry Cox with staff of Central Co-op on Huthwaite Road

Along with the new County Councillor for Sutton West, Terry Cox, Ashfield MP Lee Anderson visited the Central Co-op petrol station on Huthwaite Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, to speak to the staff there about the growing number of incidents of shoplifting, threats, and violence towards shopworkers at the store.

The most recent incident that occurred at the store was just last month, where two known shoplifters entered the store and attempted to shoplift a high volume of confectionary item, and then punched a shopworker in the face once challenged by them.

The Ashfield MP has previously supported shopworkers with similar incidents that have occurred at other stores in Ashfield, having regular meetings with local police as well as shop visits, and he has previously raised this issue in Parliament.

Nationally, shoplifting has increased by over 20% in 2024 from the year before with 516,971 incidents recorded on the 429,873 incidents in 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics.

There is a common misconception that shop thefts of a value under £200 do not have to be actioned by the police, however this is not the case. This false perception has come from Section 22A of the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 which provides that shop thefts of £200 or less must be tried summarily in a magistrates’ court unless the defendant elects for jury trial. 

The previous Government included provision to protect shopworkers in their Crime and Policing Act, but Lee Anderson MP and Cllr Terry Cox believe that this did not go far enough.

In a joint statment, they said:

“These sorts of incidents are now commonplace at shops all around Ashfield and the rest of the country.”

“There is still no deterrent to stop these feral creatures from committing these awful crimes. We will once again be raising this issue in Parliament to support our shopworkers.”

“It is not good enough that this is still happening to people just for simply doing their jobs.”

“The Government needs to do more to protect our shopworkers.”