Open letter
August 2025
Dear Sir/Madam,
Re: Ensuring the Crime and Policing Bill protects all public-facing workers from assault and hostility
We welcome the Crime and Policing Bill currently moving through Parliament, and in particular Clause 14: Assault of retail worker.
However, as it currently stands, the proposed legislation provides only a partial solution to an endemic and preventable issue, which has been consistently documented and evidenced. With a small change, the Government has the chance to act decisively to protect public-facing workers across all sectors from abuse in their workplaces.
Around 60% of the UK’s workforce are in some form of customer-facing role, from high street retail and hospitality workers to call centre agents and financial services staff, through to transport workers and infrastructure installers.
The Institute of Customer Service, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Customer Service and other supporters (now totalling over 330 organisations and cross-party Parliamentarians) have been campaigning since 2020 via our Service with Respect campaign to protect public-facing workers from hostility, abuse and assault at work.
We have been tracking customer abuse across all sectors for the last five years, with 15,000 responses to date. Our latest results (January 25) show that 42% of customer service staff across every sector experienced abuse in the previous six months, up 19% from March 24. This impacts the workers themselves and hits economic growth: over a third (37%) say they have considered leaving their role due to hostility, and a quarter (25.7%) have taken sick leave as a result.
We successfully pushed for an amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, which created an aggravated offence against a person providing a public service, performing a public duty, or providing services to the public.
Despite this, we are still seeing a high level of public-facing workers report abuse, hostility and assault and a low level of incident reporting, suggesting a stronger deterrent is needed.
We are therefore calling for an amendment to the Crime and Policing bill to include all those in public-facing roles, not only those working in retail. This is the same definition as section 68A, subsection 4 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.
The Government must act now to enshrine vital protections for all our service workers; without action now to create a strong deterrent, this problem will continue to grow. These professionals form the bedrock of our society and economy. They are essential to community building, social cohesion, and economic growth – let’s seize this moment to protect all public-facing workers.
Yours faithfully,
Jo Causon, CEO, The Institute of Customer Service
Co-signatories (Business Leaders):
Allen Simpson, CEO, UKHospitality
Andrew Miller, CEO, Motability Operations
Andy Deeks, CEO, Leek Building Society
Andy Morris, CEO, Cirencester Friendly Society
Angie Doll, CEO, Govia Thameslink
Ant Middle, CEO, Ageas
Basil Scarsella, CEO, UK Power Networks
Chris Norbury, CEO, Eon
Chris O’Shea, Group Chief Executive, Centrica
Chris Pitt, CEO, first direct
Chris Weston, CEO, Thames Water
Dame Irene Hays, CEO, Hays Travel
David Hinton, CEO, South East Water
David Landen, CEO, Julian Hodge Bank Limited
David Wood, CEO, Wickes
Elaine Kerr, CEO, DPD
Eva Eisenschimmel, CEO DACH, Lowell Group
Fiona Brown, CEO, OpenContact
Giles Hawke, CEO, Celebrity Cruises
Graham Edwards, CEO, Wales and West Utilities
Graham Vidler, CEO, CPT
Greg Reed, CEO, Places for People
Heidi Fraser, CEO, Jisc
Heidi Mottram, CEO, Northumbrian Water
Jacqueline Starr, CEO, Rail Delivery Group
James Walder, CEO, North Star
Jonathan Cowie, CEO, Plymouth Community Homes
Julie-Ann Haines, CEO, Principality Building Society
Kevin Fowlie, CEO, Network Plus
Lawrence Gosden, CEO, Southern Water
Lesley Taylor, Managing Director, Globus
Lindsey Rix, CEO, Canada Life
Liv Garfield, CEO, Severn Trent
Louise Beardmore, CEO, United Utilities
Mark Graham, CEO, Co-Ownership
Nick Atkin, CEO, Yorkshire Housing Association
Nicola Shaw, CEO, Yorkshire Watetr
Oke Eleazu, CEO & Founder, Elevate Colour
Pat McDonagh, CEO, Clarity
Paul Crawford, CEO, Livewest
Pete Perry, CEO, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
Phillippa Cardno, CEO, Newbury Building Society
Richard Ingle, CEO, Bath Building Society
Richard Parry, CEO, Canal & River Trust
Robert Forrester, CEO, Vertu Motors
Robin Fieth, CEO, The Building Societies Association (BSA)
Rosemary Du Rose, CEO, Beyond Housing
Ruth Cooke, CEO, Green Square Accord
Ruth Jefferson, CEO, Wessex Water
Sarah Beale, CEO, AAT
Shashi Shesandri, CEO, Skewb
Steve Jones, CEO, The Stafford Building Society
Stuart Haire, Group CEO, Skipton Group
Sue Hayes, CEO, Nottingham Building Society
Susan Allen, CEO, Yorkshire Building Society
Tara Waite, CEO, PCL
Tim Newbery, Group Managing Director, Proximo Group
Tom Athron, CEO, Fortnum & Mason
Wayne Gethings, CEO, Housing Plus
Zack Hocking, CEO, Penrith Building Society
Eric Leenders, MD, UK Finance
Sarah Turner, MD, Nottingham Trams
Liz Jackson MBE, Director, Initium Corporate Finance
Nigel Purveur, Director, NJP Management
Andy Green, Chair, Lowell
Andy Wood, Chair, Norse Group
David Roberts, Non-Executive Director
Jeremy Hyams, Chairman, Claims Consortium Group
Steve Holliday, Chairman, CityFibre
David MacLeod OBE, Co-Founder, EFS
Alan Stott, Director Customer Contact, Virgin Media O2
Alex Jessup, Managing Director, Managed Services, Correla
Anna Cook, Managing Director Customer Service, Sky
Carla Thomas, Customer Experience Director, Openreach
Carol Knowles, President, Accord
Caroline Dibbs, COO, Canada Life
David Bird, Customer Experience Director, Thames Water
Davesh Raj, COO, Sky
Francesca Rea, Director of Customer Operations, NewDay
Jo Marshall, Executive Director, YPO
Jon Paull, COO, Octopus Energy
Jonathan Shawcross, Chief Growth Officer, Concentrix
Kathryn O’Brien, Customer Experience Director, Avanti West Coast
Lance DeLuca, COO, Pension Insurance Corporation
Lauren Lewis, COO, OVO
Liz Fairburn, Chief Customer Officer, The Riverside Group
Lucinda Scott, Customer Service Director, first direct
Martin Milliner, Managing Director of Claims, Direct Line Group
Martyn Oakley, Customer Experience Director, Laithwaites Wine
Mary Sithole, Treasurer, TSSA
Maryam Eslamdoust, General Secretary, TSSA
Mike Gauterin, Chief Customer and Technology Officer, United Utilities
Paul Harris, Chief Customer Officer, Curo Group
Peter Carter, Independent Healthcare Consultant
Peter Cross, Independent Consultant
Rachel Crownshaw, Group Managing Director Communities, Places for People
Richard Pash, Chief Customer Officer, Zurich
Shirley Fell, COO, Cirencester Friendly Society
Sir Charles Bowman, Alderman of the City of London
Stephen Noakes, Director of Retail, Nationwide
Trafford Wilson, Executive Director of Customer Services, The Guinness Partnership