STAFF at Sports Direct and JD Sports have been head-butted, bitten, punched, elbowed and threatened with weapons, a Sun probe has found.
Retail workers at the stores have suffered several assaults per week at the hands of violent shoplifters – including one who had a bottle of Prime thrown at them.
A probe has found that retail workers at Sports Direct and JD Sports have suffered several assaults per week at the hands of violent shopliftersPA
Violent thieves are thought to target sport shops as their merchandise can be easily sold on the black marketGetty
In one case, a Sports Direct employee needed a CT scan after they were battered over the head by a thief.
The attack was logged by West Mercia Police and revealed to us after Freedom of Information requests.
The same force also reported an incident where a Sports Direct manager was assaulted by a young female who “swung her around” by her hair before punching her in the face.
Violent thieves are thought to target sports shops as their merchandise – including trainers and designer clothes – can easily be sold on the black market.
In Bedfordshire, police were called after a customer threw a bottle of Prime at an employee, causing bruising and swelling.
Another incident in the same area saw a male shoplifter elbow a female store manager after being caught red-handed.
Essex Police said one suspect swung a bat at a staff member in Sports Direct.
And at another Sports Direct store in the county, a shoplifter dragged an employee to the ground and punched them in the nose after being caught trying to steal clothes
A youth head-butted a Sports Direct worker in Lincolnshire, while another threatened to stab a member of staff in the same area.
Devon and Cornwall Police had a case where a JD Sports worker was bitten after confronting a shop-lifter.
In one case, an offender elbowed a store manager after trying to steal productsGetty
Northumbria Police revealed one case where an offender elbowed a store manager after trying to steal products and another where a thief tried to run over an employee while escaping.
And Humberside Police reported that a male and female pair punched and spat at staff in Sports Direct when confronted over a £300 coat theft.
In total, there were 137 assaults recorded – around three a week – with Sports Direct reporting 87 incidents and JD Sports 50.
But the true stats would be higher – as police forces including London’s Met, Merseyside, Hampshire and Sussex did not provide information.
A spokesperson from Frasers Group, the parent company for Sports Direct, said: “The safety and security of our staff is our utmost priority.
“We have seen a rise in retail crime across the UK and we continue to introduce additional measures within our stores to help protect our teams.”
A JD spokesperson said: “It should never be part of anyone’s job to endure violence or abuse.
“We take any incidences extremely seriously.”
Paddy Lillis, General Secretary of the shopworkers’ union USDAW, said: “We are facing an epidemic of retail crime, which is hugely concerning.
“Shoplifting is not a victimless crime and theft from shops has long been a major flashpoint for violence and abuse against shopworkers.”
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