Harold Hill shop workers’ desperate plea for help following daily assaults that include being threatened with acid and struck with bottles.

Police officers took to the streets of Harold Hill yesterday following a desperate plea for help from shop workers who have spoken openly about the horrendous assaults they face each day at the Hilldene shopping centre.

Officers from Gooshays and Harold Wood Safer Neighbourhood wards, walked along Farnham Road, talking to shop staff about the nightmare shoplifting and the assaults staff are facing daily.

On Friday 13 October, the Havering Daily joined community champions Jan Sargeant and Simon Ford at the Hilldene shopping centre, to talk to staff about the problems they are facing.

We spoke to staff members from the Co-op, Greggs and Boots, all who had a very similar story to tell.

The store worker from Greggs told the Havering Daily: “I get to work at 5am and I do not feel safe. As soon as we open the doors, the shelves are robbed, they are literally waiting for us to open and come in and take as much as they can.

“I have been assaulted, my staff has been assaulted. We are repeatedly calling the police and logging the incidents.It really is impacting all of us here. We don’t feel safe.”

A member of staff from the Co-op on Farnham Road told the Havering Daily: “I don’t think we have anything left on the shelves now. It’s all gone. They stand next to staff with big bags and just fill them up, smirking at us and telling us ‘What you going to do about it?’ and walk out the door.

“This happens everyday and its sad for people who come in and want to use our store to buy their shopping as we have literally nothing left.

“They are rude, abusive, they threaten us with bottles of acid. Staff are feeling very low and not safe. We all want to go home after work.”

Staff have all stated that despite new faces, the majority of these shoplifters are the same individuals most days robbing stores in the area.

Simon Ford who runs the group ‘Shop Watch’ alongside Jan Sargeant, have been working closely with their community and the local police to try and resolve this situation. Both regularly talk to shop staff and are hoping that with the help of the police, the increase in shoplifting and staff abuse, can now be stopped.

A spokesperson for Havering police told the Havering Daily:

“We are aware of recent reports of shoplifting and anti-social behaviour in Harold Hill and understand how worrying and frustrating this is for local business owners and residents. 

“We are improving our working relationship with local businesses, Local Authority stakeholders and independent partners to prevent and address the, crime and anti-social behaviour taking place in the area. We have just recently attended a shop owners’ association meeting in October, to better understand the main issues and coordinate joint solutions.

“Our team already carry out hi visibility and sometimes plain clothes targeted foot patrols provide reassurance to our local community and deter offenders. We are building up intelligence aimed at targeting persistent and prolific offenders   with the aim of arresting them and putting them before a court.

“The Harold Hill Neighbourhood Team are also looking at a longer term prevention plan which includes building evidence to apply for Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBO) for those persistent offenders. Breaching a CBO is a criminal offence punishable by either a fine, prison sentence or both.

“I am hopeful these changes in local policing will have a positive impact in our local communities. My team is committed to making Harold Hill a safer place for everyone, and if we see you out and about please come and talk us – the more information and knowledge we have from local people, the better.”

Support Local Journalism
We at The Havering Daily appreciate your support of quality journalism. Your generous donation, no matter the size, allows us to continue bringing unbiased and informative news to the community. Your contribution helps us maintain our independence and allows us to continue providing high-quality journalism. Thank you for valuing the work we do and for supporting our mission

Thank you

Stay up to date with all of our latest updates and content by following us on our social media accounts!

We have created community pages where we will share our up-to-date stories happening in the area. Add the area closest to where you live.