Community Union is demanding that all betting shop workers are covered by a set of minimum standards.
All bookmakers should commit to complying with these very specific points to improve the personal security and the working environment of all shop staff throughout the industry. Managers, deputy managers and cashiers are all exposed to the very real threat of violence and abuse and employers must do more to protect staff.
Forms of behaviour that are regarded as being totally unacceptable anywhere else on the high street are viewed by some as being ‘part and parcel’ of the job of a betting shop worker. Despite the very different responsibilities and roles more and more bookmakers are claiming that betting shop workers are employed in retail. At the same time, however, many workers feel that employers are denying them even the most basic protection enjoyed by those working in the retail sector.
It is worth remembering that along with a number of high profile robberies that have hit the headlines recently, in the period 2005-2007 there was a 200% increase in robberies and assaults in the city of Glasgow. Furthermore, data from the Metropolitan Police demonstrate a near 70% increase in robberies of betting shops in greater London since 2005 and this kind of rise in robberies demands action. All bookmakers serious about tackling these issues need to adopt the minimum standards demanded by the betting shop workers’ union:
- No lone person working under any circumstances
- Safe mechanisms for banking and cash in transit
- Thorough reporting/recording of assaults, theft and anti social behaviour in and around the premises
- CCTV, MAG locks and panic alarms in every shop and appropriate lighting outside every shop
- Posters warning against anti-social behaviour
- Rigorous training of staff to deal with conflict resolution
- New, tighter risk assessments now that shops are open until 10pm in the winter
- More power for local councils to intervene and act against unscrupulous operators and those not addressing anti-social behaviour in and around betting shops
- An independent review of the impact of FOBTs on problem gambling and anti-social behaviour
- The Government to convene a forum with employers and Community Union to address the problem of violence against betting shop workers