Crime blackspots

Northern Ireland is worst - 34% of retailers have been attacked Next worst is Wales, with 32% In Yorkshire, 71% of attacks involve knife or gun 16% of attacks leave victims needing hospital treatment

It found nearly a quarter of retailers have been victims of crime, while a third have been attacked up to five times. In many cases they were confronted by intruders with firearms such as handguns and shotguns. Other attackers carried knives, baseball bats, broken bottles, iron bars, bricks, CS gas and even syringes full of blood.

Richard Siddle of Independent Retail News said: "There's a massive level of frustration, a real undercurrent of feeling, in the sector that this is just a part of [their] job. It's almost dismissed.

"Only 23% of of cases actually ends in any kind of conviction at all. Retailers feel kind of lost that they are out there, facing this day in and day out."

Support

Yet despite so many storekeepers coming under fire, only a small minority said they had looked for professional counselling. 47% of those questioned said they turned to family and friends for help and 36% went to the police.

Richard Siddle: Retailers are frustrated

Only 8% sought help from professional support organisations. Among the exceptions though, were subpostmasters, who claimed they had asked for and benefited from a special counselling service set up by the Post Office.

Stress

Besides injury, retail crime also leaves people feeling stressed and anxious. More than a quarter of retailers said they felt at risk 'all of the time', and more than four out of five admitted to feeling threatened 'at some time'.

29% of those surveyed said they'd taken time off work to deal with stress-related illnesses,the same number of store managers said staff had actually left through fear or illness related to retail crime.

More than a quarter (27%) of victims said they felt the police had not given enough time to their case.

It's one reason why independent retailers are launching a campaign to try to get the government to offer more practical help.

Incentive

They want ministers to give retailers tax relief on security equipment and CCTV, claiming this would be a welcome incentive to help them protect their premises, and make them safer for staff and customers.

They also want a dedicated counselling service to be set up, to help those suffering from the effects of crime at work.

Retailers are urging their customers to sign a petition this week, which will be sent to Prime Minister Tony Blair. It will outline their concerns, and call for the government to make the workplace safer for retailers who feel their livelihoods are seriously being threatened by violence.