CUTS in police funding have been partly blamed for ‘shocking’ levels of retail crime.

Warrington North MP Helen Jones demonstrated her support for Respect for Shopworkers Week by visiting the Co-op store in Orford, on Capesthorne Road, on Friday.

Shop workers’ union Usdaw’s annual respect week seeks to prevent verbal abuse, threats and violent attacks on people at work.

During her visit to the store, Labour’s Mrs Jones discussed community safety issues with staff and heard about the Co-op’s operational programme to help tackle crime.

She said: “Shockingly, the latest statistics show that the incidents of violence, threats and abuse against shop workers remains a major problem.

“Shop workers face an unprecedented level of threat from violent incidents as each day across the UK six are threatened with a knife and two with a gun.

“Six in 10 shop workers experienced verbal abuse this year and 230 have been assaulted every day.

“Products can be replaced and stores repaired but violent crime in shops often has a shocking, and lasting, impact on those working at the front line.

“That is why I am backing this important initiative as we must all do everything we can to help reduce these attacks.

“The Government needs to take action by ensuring stiffer penalties for those who assault shop workers.”

Paul Gerrard, director of campaigns at Co-op, also raised serious concerns.

He said: “Retail crime is often considered to be victimless as people think it only involves a faceless business losing stock or money.

“However, it is not the shop that is left bruised, bleeding or traumatised.

“This type of crime has nothing to do with profit and everything to do with people.”

Usdaw’s general secretary Paddy Lillis added: “While there are many factors behind retail crime, severe cuts in police funding and the loss of over 20,000 police officers does not help.

“Police resources are so stretched we now have some chief constables reporting that their officers can no longer attend theft from shops incidents and they are asking shop workers to detain shoplifters, which would put our members in an unacceptable dangerous situation.”