Source : Perth Now news
Coles staff in Victoria have been subject to an 85 per cent rise in verbal and physical attacks over just two years – with a leading union warning it is reaching “crisis” levels.
An executive at the supermarket giant revealed the figure to the ABC’s 7.30 program on Monday, adding that Coles supermarkets in Victoria have more security cameras than the other states and territories.
There are calls from the retail union for laws to be brought forward which would allow courts to ban repeat offenders from going into certain shops.
Coles security footage shared with the broadcaster shows Coles shoppers threatening staff with hammers and violently wrestling with security staff at the check-outs.
A staff member from Melbourne’s southwest told the ABC the public’s behaviour had deteriorated since the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I enjoy my work, I enjoy my job. I would just like to be able to do it without getting abused basically, or worrying about whether somebody is going to come flying around the plaza with weapons,” Ruth Sumner, 70, told the ABC.
Ms Sumner said she was concerned young people entering the work force should not have to develop such a thick skin as she had.
“If I drop dead tomorrow, I want to know that I’ve done something to make life better or help make life better for the people who come after us.
“It’s not just about us. There are new generations coming through who have the same rights to go to where they work and be safe.”
The retail workers union is calling for laws which ban repeat offenders entering stores to be expedited before Christmas this year.
“It is a crisis for our members,” union state secretary Michael Donovan said.
The ACT and South Australia have such workplace protection order bans at the disposal of the courts.
The Victorian Premier last month promised the laws would be up and running by July 2027.
New Victorian Premier Ben Carroll earlier this month announced another 200 reservist police roles would be funded, to focus on office and front counter duties so more officers can be out on the beat.
The $57m, 200-officer would be on top of another 200 spots already budgeted for by former premier Jacinta Allan.
The latest Victorian crime stats show youth crime fell 6 per cent in the year to March, but adult crime rose 10 per cent. The number of youth offenders fell by 260 to about 7000, and there were 1000 fewer first-time youth offenders across the 12 months to March.
Dozens of hospitality venues were firebombed earlier this year, in what police suspect was an attempt for organised crime to muscle in with illicit alcohol sales. This violent spree mirrored years of tobacco store firebombings.
Coles chief operations officer, Matt Swindells, told the ABC there had been an 85 per cent in rise in verbal assaults or physical altercations towards staff in Victoria in two years.
“We’ve had rising instances of what we would call threatening situations, particularly towards our team members and particularly in Victoria over the last two years,” he said.
“While we call them threatening situations, what we really mean are either verbal assaults or physical altercations, or in some instances using product as a weapon, like a bottle of wine or a tin of tomatoes.”
Coles had more staff-worn body cameras and motion detection cameras in Victoria than the other states, he said.
