SDA research shows that more than 85% of retail workers have been subjected to verbal abuse from a customer in the last 12 months, 76% on a regular basis. 12.5% of workers have faced physical violence and 9% have been spat on.
Increasingly retail workers are exposed to knife crime including:
• A bottle shop worker stabbed and killed in Darwin;
• A supermarket worker stabbed by a minor in Brisbane;
• A supermarket worker in Tamworth off shift stabbed whilst shopping;
• Shopping centre lockdown in Melbourne from machete wielding youths;
• Shopping centre lockdown in Canberra from knife wielding offenders; and
• A supermarket with 3 knife related incidents in 3 consecutive months on the northside of Canberra.
These essential workers assured Australia of its supply of goods through the Covid-19 pandemic now are witnessing a continued escalation of violence and other offences.
The escalation of knife crime requires a multi-faceted approach including controls over the sale of bladed items, police powers to take knives off the street and stronger consequences for offenders.
Following the tragic incident at Westfield Bondi Junction the SDA, PSA and Police Association called for the introduction of “Jack’s Law” to empower police in designated areas to undertake wanding to prevent knife crimes. The NSW Labor Government introduced these laws.