Most people are rightly fortunate enough to go to work each day safe in the knowledge that they will not be subject to verbal abuse or violence. Sadly, this is not always the case for thousands, like me, who work in high street betting shops.
For too many betting shop workers, verbal abuse is a daily reality. Swearing, shouting and threats are still commonplace in my working day. Too often, women lone-working are victims of robbery. And all too often, the employee is the first to be suspected by the employer.
‘Did you know the robber? Did you help him? What did you do wrong?’ These can be the first questions that a betting shop worker faces after a robbery.
In my 20 years’ service, I have been robbed nine times by gun, knife and axe. One robbery happened when I was pregnant. The robber smashed the bandit screen, pulled a gun on me, cocked the gun to my stomach and pulled the trigger.
Thankfully, the gun wasn’t loaded but it is an incident that haunts me to this day and I still haven’t forgotten the fact that I was asked to work the rest of my shift and face questions and accusations from my bosses.
This cannot be right. But thanks to my union Community, and Labour, we have been trying to do something about it.
Following pressure from Labour politicians and the last Labour government, the employers finally sat round the table with Community representatives. Talking with the union and other partners like the police, local authorities and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, we were able to come up with a voluntary agreement to tackle the rising trend of robberies in betting shops.
The Safe Bet Alliance, as the project became known, was initially rolled out in London. It set out minimum security standards for betting shops, which were implemented across all major betting shop chains during 2009-10. It included improvements in training for staff as well as more obvious security measures such as bandit screens, CCTV or maglocks. The project has now been extended nationwide.
Between 2006-7 and 2009-10 betting shop robberies in London rose by 62.5 per cent, peaking at 403 armed robberies. After the Safe Bet standards had been implemented robberies declined by 46 per cent, representing 215 fewer offences in 2010-11.
Did this go far enough? The simpler answer is no. Of course, betting shop workers welcome the fact that robberies have decreased but violent incidents have continued to increase, up 170 per cent in London between 2005 and 2010, and dealing with lower level antisocial behaviour is still part of our daily working life.
There are significant obstacles in front of us. The first is our employers, with their devotion to the bottom line and a track record of putting profit before people. But an equal obstacle is a Tory-led government with its advisers who think people getting killed at work is ‘unfortunate’; its obsession with reducing rights and protections for workers; and its cuts to police budgets.
That’s why Community supports Usdaw’s Respect campaign. Wherever you work, whether in retail or in betting shops, putting up with abuse should never be considered part of the job.
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Also on ProgressOnline this week in support of Usdaw’s Respect For Shopworkers Week:
Freedom From Fear by Janice Gregory AM
Tackling violent retail crime by Ann Coffey MP
Respect For Shopworkers Week by Usdaw general secretary John Hannett
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is this article in response/defence to Harriet Harman’s statement that bookies prey on the poor ,destroy communities and practice predatory profiteering ? because I completely agree with her. I think that betting shops are like open sewers running in our streets,encourage a bad atmosphere that makes the young unemployed think it is fine to hang around in the street all day smoking and drinking ,this is certainly the culture it has created in Westbourne Park near where I live and many other places I have noticed in London.
This article looks like a straightforward workers rights piece to me d.mcardle.
Can you explain why you think betting shops encourage ‘the young unemployed’ to hang around on the street and drink all day? surely your target should be off licenses or the failure of this country to integrate enough of its young men into the workplace.
The creation of a culture of idleness, and self destructive behaviour cannot be laid at the bookmakers door. That would be a massive cop out for policy makers. What goes unseen are the huge sums gambled online, almost none of which UK taxed (unlike shops) and the harm that can potentially cause.
As a betting shop employee in various locations in and around London I would say the character of each shop is dictated by the character of the local area and the manager. The atmosphere on the street is surely generated by the locals. If the locals are pissed off with life the street atmosphere will suffer.
Betting shop staff have a stressful job and their pay and conditions are constantly under pressure, they like everyone else deserve respect in the work place.
“local” : ‘ of or relating to the characteristics of a particular place ‘. And yes indeed the off licence is usually next door.
thanks for the definition,
I was thinking more of the quality of the housing, affluence, or work, education and leisure opportunities of a ‘local’ area.
There is zero tolerance policy of alcohol in betting shops.
If street drinking is a problem in Westbourne Park I suggest you talk to your council/councillor and help arrange the creation of a drinking control zone.
I suggest you stop working in a job that seeks only to rob people ! If you imagine trying to sound authoritative and high arch will intimidate me ,it only makes me wonder why !
Perhaps there are too many bookies around now.
But I’ve never robbed anyone, why don’t you stop mugging yourself?
ha! sore point, eh ! the word mug comes readily to you I guess !
Yeah, probably a few too many bookies around, but bloody hell d.mcardle, talk about jumping off at the deep end!