The Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) has welcomed this week’s announcement from shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper that Labour would crackdown on shoplifting and violence against shop workers.

In a speech to the Labour Party Conference, Cooper said that a Labour government would stand with the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, the Co-op, Tesco and small convenience stores “with a new law and tougher sentences for attacks on our shopworkers”.

Cooper also committed to ending the £200 threshold for investigating theft, improving police presence by hiring 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs and bringing in orders that would ban repeat offenders from town centres.

“Everyone has the right to feel safe at work,” she added.

Responding, the Fed’s national president Muntazir Dipoti said: “We campaigned successfully in Scotland for the establishment of a standalone offence for those who abuse or use violence against retail workers. We are glad to see that the Labour Party is adopting this and has made a commitment to protecting retail workers.”

Last month, Benedict Selvaratnam, owner of Freshfields Market in Croydon, spoke to Drinks Retailing about his recent experiences with shoplifting, saying a “high volume” of wines, spirits and occasionally craft beers are stolen from the premises.