New legislation protecting our frontline staff from abuse
Following many months of campaigning, MP meetings Customer Service APPG sessions, in November 2021, Baroness Williams of Trafford tabled an amendment to the Sentencing Bill, which will make assaults on those providing a public service an aggravating factor in sentencing decisions.
The amendment passed through with support from both sides of the House of Commons, and the Home Office confirmed that Royal Assent of the Bill was gained on 28 April 2022.
We hope this legislation will provide customer service workers with peace of mind that they are being protected. However, our campaigning doesn’t stop here. We are keen to continue highlighting the importance of this campaign and how we all need to play our part – in supporting our customer service professionals in their jobs every day.
Recent research we have conducted shows that nearly half (46.6%) of customer service staff have experienced hostility in the past year. Half of instances are going unreported as victims feel it won’t make a difference.
The new legislation will only be effective if customers and staff are aware of it and incidents are reported. We urge the police and CPS to take action where appropriate and the judiciary to use their new powers. We will continue to speak to Government about this issue and we encourage employers to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to hostility. This includes ensuring employees are adequately trained to handle difficult situations and supported in reporting any incidents.
We’d like to thank our members, campaign supporters, parliamentary champions and the wider APPG for Customer Service contributors for their support on this campaign – we wouldn’t have achieved what we have without your support.
Not joined yet? Show your support for our Service with Respect campaign and our frontline staff today: