Overview

This bill aims to increase protection for public-facing workers in England and Wales by creating new offences and increasing penalties for verbal and physical abuse directed at them while they are working or carrying out work-related duties.

Description

The bill introduces two key provisions:

New Offences and Increased Penalties:

It creates new offences for common assault and battery, and harassment involving verbal abuse, specifically targeting those committed against public-facing workers. The maximum sentence for these offences is increased from six months to twelve months imprisonment, or a fine, or both.

Aggravating Factor:

The bill designates attacks against public-facing workers as an aggravating factor for a wide range of serious crimes, including assault, harassment, and even manslaughter. This means that judges must consider this factor when sentencing, potentially leading to harsher punishments.

The definition of "public-facing worker" is broad, encompassing various roles such as retail workers, transport staff, emergency workers, call centre operators, and many others. This applies whether or not the worker is being paid and even if the abuse takes place outside of normal working hours.

Government Spending

The bill does not directly specify an increase in government spending. However, potential increased court costs associated with prosecuting more cases under the new legislation could result in increased spending, although exact figures are unavailable at this time.

Groups Affected

• Public-facing workers: These workers will benefit from increased legal protection against abuse, potentially leading to a safer working environment. Examples include retail workers, transport staff, emergency services personnel, social workers and many more.
• Perpetrators of abuse: Individuals who verbally or physically abuse public-facing workers face increased penalties under this bill.
• The Judiciary: Judges will need to apply the new sentencing guidelines.
• Police and Prosecutors: Increased workload may result from a higher number of cases reported under the new legislation.

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