Call to tackle violence against betting shop staff

LABOUR has called for a national summit to address violence against betting shop staff following a rise in the number of attacks and robberies in the west of Scotland this year.

Figures from Strathclyde Police showed there were 17 reported assaults with intent to rob at bookmakers in the region during the first 11 months of 2011, compared with three cases in 2010.

The number of robberies at betting shops also rose from 25 in 2010 to 33 for the first 11 months of this year.

Labour MSP John Park has called on the Scottish Government to host an industry-wide summit to tackle the issue.

Mr Park, who initiated a cross-party campaign in the Scottish Parliament in 2008 to highlight violence suffered by employees in bookmakers, said he planned to write to justice secretary Kenny MacAskill to ask him to take the idea forward.

He added: “I fear this worrying rise is a result of ministers taking their eye off the ball.

“These figures are a stark reminder of what betting shop staff are still facing. It is not on and we must make it our mission to root it out.

“But this isn’t just about what politicians or the police can do – it is absolutely vital that the betting shop companies do everything they can to protect workers in their respective premises.”

Mr Park said the figures contrasted with those of London, where a campaign by the Metropolitan Police and major bookmakers saw a 46 per cent fall in violent betting shop offences in 2010-11.

He added: “We need to understand why Scotland is bucking the trend and what lessons can be learned from London.”