Overview

The Protection of Workers Bill creates a new specific criminal offence for assaulting individuals whose jobs involve direct public contact. This aims to better protect essential workers from violence and harassment.

Description

This bill establishes a new crime: assaulting someone working in a role requiring face-to-face public interaction, whether paid or unpaid. The offender must know, or reasonably should know, the victim's job involves such contact. The bill defines "essential work" to include various roles such as prison officers, NHS staff, social workers, and others detailed in Section 2(3). Assault doesn't solely mean physical contact; other forms of assault, as defined by law, are also covered. A single source of evidence can be sufficient to prove the victim's job status. The penalty for conviction is a maximum of six months imprisonment, a level 5 fine, or both. Existing laws regarding assaults on police, firefighters, and emergency workers remain unaffected. The Secretary of State can add or remove job categories from the definition of covered roles through an order approved by Parliament.

Government Spending

The bill's impact on government spending is not directly specified in the text. However, the increased prosecution and potential incarceration costs associated with implementing this new offence might result in increased spending on the justice system. Conversely, there may be a reduction in the cost of dealing with employee absence due to assault and related stress.

Groups Affected

• Essential workers: This bill offers greater legal protection for numerous workers with direct public interaction, including those in healthcare, social care, emergency services, and prison services. This potentially decreases their exposure to violence.
• Offenders: Individuals who assault workers covered by the bill face potential imprisonment and fines.
• The Justice System: The bill is expected to increase the workload of the police, courts, and prisons.
• The public: While not directly affected, the public might be indirectly affected through increased safety for public-facing workers.

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