VTR0037

Written evidence submitted by UK Finance (VTR0037)

1. UK Finance is the collective voice for the banking and finance industry in the UK. Representing almost 300 firms, we act to enhance competitiveness, support customers and facilitate innovation.
2. We welcome the opportunity to provide evidence to the Home Affairs Committee’s inquiry into violence and abuse towards retail workers.
3. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, banks’ and building societies’ frontline staff have made significant efforts to help their customers during the crisis by maintaining essential daily financial services. Supported by key worker status, the efforts of frontline staff ensured that around 90 per cent of branches stayed open during lockdown(s) over the past year, albeit with reductions in opening hours.
4. Despite providing a critical public-facing service during a challenging period for staff, there has been a significant increase in reports of verbal and physical attacks on frontline staff by UK Finance members since the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
5. Data collected from four UK Finance members who represent some of the major high-street bank providers show that in the 12-month period to the end of March 2021 – where Covid-19 restrictions were in place – serious assaults and abuse against frontline staff increased by nearly 80 per cent compared to the previous 12-month period[1]. This represented almost 1,400 reports of significant assaults and abuse, which mostly relate to cases where the police were involved.
• Although the increase may in part be explained by improved reporting and staff awareness of the reporting process, between November and December 2020, serious assaults and abuse against staff were over 190 per cent higher than during the same period in 2019.
• At the same time, these figures only record the most serious incidents of violence and abuse towards branch workers and other frontline staff. This is therefore likely to be a significant underestimate of the true extent of assaults and abuse that frontline banking staff experience day-to-day. 
• Data collected from just one UK Finance member indicates the wider extent of violence and abuse towards branch workers. In the year ending 31 March 2021, frontline staff across their branch network reported over 5,000 incidents of wider abuse and/or assault. The worst incidents have resulted in this UK Finance member exiting its relationship with those customers involved, resulting in 775 customer account closures.
• According to this UK Finance member’s reporting, the majority of these cases – around 70 per cent – were linked to either an account or a service issue. However, a significant number of incidents – around 20 per cent – have been in some way linked to Covid-19. These incidents range from customers being unhappy about queueing outside a branch to breaking social distancing and self-isolation rules. In some instances, there have been reports where members of the public have come into a branch and spat at staff.
• A separate UK Finance member reported 717 cases of abuse and violence reported in January – April 2021, compared to 449 reports in January – April 2020. This UK Finance member also reported that there had been a general increase across all categories of abuse and violence.
6. For the benefit of the Committee, we include anecdotal evidence provided by another UK Finance member to highlight the individual distress caused to frontline staff. This relates to reports of six serious incidents taking place in branches within a five-day period in April 2021[2].
• In one example, a customer who came to a branch to make a transfer became increasingly aggressive towards a staff member after they requested further assistance from another colleague to deal with the customer’s request. Having lost their temper, the customer used threatening language and began to spit on the staff member. The customer continued swearing and abusing staff, standing about two feet away from the staff member. The customer eventually left the branch before police arrived. Staff were advised to call the police if the customer returned and to remain behind a secure line.
• In another more concerning case, a branch staff member was approached by what appeared to be a customer whilst walking across a field on their way to work. The suspected customer approached the staff member and threatened the staff member, saying: “sort my f***ing account out or I will come round your house”. As the shocked staff member walked away, the suspected customer continued to stare threateningly at the staff member whilst holding a dog on a lead. The staff member was advised to call the police obtain a police reference number should the suspected customer enter the branch.
7. UK Finance takes violence and abuse towards frontline staff extremely seriously. Whilst we recognise that Covid-19 has made many people anxious about their finances, branch staff must be treated with respect and they should not be physically or verbally attacked in any situation.
8. As we emerge from lockdown restrictions, UK Finance members have reported that they are yet to see a marked decline in incidents reported; although it is too early to determine what impact the relaxation of restrictions will have. UK Finance will continue to monitor the situation.

9. In response, we have seen a collaborative engagement both within retail banks and building societies and across the industry to help support frontline staff. UK Finance also supported the Financial Conduct Authority’s strong messaging about expected standards of behaviour from customers towards frontline financial services staff[3].

10. The industry’s response includes measures such as working with industry service partners to identify bespoke conflict resolution training for frontline staff; encouraging staff to report incidents; improving and simplifying the reporting process; and installing announcement systems at some branches where abuse has previously been reported. One UK Finance member is also exploring the potential to launch a body-cam pilot to both diffuse situations and also capture audio visual evidence to help secure convictions.

11. UK Finance is also a supporter of the Service with Respect campaign from the Institute of Customer Service to support a zero-tolerance approach to hostility and abuse against frontline staff[4].

12. UK Finance members have generally been supportive of the police response to incidents of violence and abuse towards frontline staff. UK Finance members have reported that police have been appropriate both in their initial response and in follow-up investigations over potential offences.

13. However, UK Finance members have noted that frontline staff who have become victims of abuse and/or violence by customers are often reluctant to report the incidents to the police or pursue legal action for fear of external repercussions and/or reprisals; alongside the ordeal of a court appearance.

14. As reported by Nationwide in their separate evidence submitted to this inquiry, one of the barriers some UK Finance members face as employers is the reluctance of the police to take crime report notifications from a third party (for example, the employer reporting the crime on behalf of the employee) if there was no police involvement at the time of the incident. UK Finance would support removing this barrier to help improve victim reporting; particularly in instances where frontline staff victims might otherwise be willing to submit a statement but become overwhelmed by the process of reporting the crime.

15. UK Finance members are strongly supportive of a new offence of aggravated assaults against retail workers. This must include frontline staff in banks and building societies, who have played a critical customer-facing role, supporting customers with essential banking services during the pandemic in light of increased hostility and incidents of violence and abuse. A new offence of aggravated assaults would provide frontline staff with the recognition and protection that they deserve to equip staff for the challenging duties they are being asked to perform daily.

16. As demonstrated through the evidence provided in this submission, UK Finance also strongly calls for frontline staff in banks and building societies to be considered as part of any future government response to the issue of retail abuse.

17. In particular, the Payment Accounts Directive/ Payment Accounts Regulations (2015) creates a further barrier for banks and building societies to prevent an individual from revisiting branch premises and intimidating frontline staff.

• This legislation means firms cannot deny a violent or abusive customer’s request to open a new account unless a criminal conviction has been secured against the customer.
• With many incidents falling short of this threshold, this legislation leaves frontline staff with the limited options of working with Community Liaison Officers to find solutions for customers who are a regular nuisance in branch.
• More widely, exiting a customer’s relation with a bank or building society through account closure often means the customer simply repeats their behaviour with another provider.

May 2021

Appendix 1 – UK Finance data on serious abuse and violence against frontline staff

Appendix 2 – UK Finance member anecdotal evidence of violence and abuse towards staff

This relates to reports of six serious incidents reported by one UK Finance who took place in branches during a five-day period in April 2021. 

Case 1

Details:

A customer displayed aggressive behaviour towards a branch staff when trying to assist with a withdrawal the customer wanted to make. The customer’s body language changed and began to shout and swear at staff.  Police attended and escorted the customer off premises.

Case 2  

Details:

A customer came to a branch make a transfer. A staff member became confused with the request and went for assistance to another member of staff. The customer gestured with his hand to staff member to get back to the desk. Staff felt offended by the way the customer gestured. Staff remained polite and calm, but the customer demanded the transfer was completed.  The customer used threatening language and said “move my money while I am still in a good mood, before I lose my temper”.  Staff carried on assisting the customer however he began to spit as he talked to them through a loss in temper. One staff member became upset by the customer’s behaviour and left the situation. The customer continued to shout. Another staff member called the police, staff made the customer aware they were calling police, the customer left and returned a minute later.  The customer continued swearing at staff and stood about two feet away from staff member. The customer continued to demand the transfer, and began calling member of staff names and swearing at them. Staff refused to serve male due to his behaviour.  Police arrived however the customer had left the premises

Staff advised to remain behind secure line if the customer is to return and call Police.

Case 3

Details:

Staff member called from branch to report a threatening and abusive customer. Customer walked into the branch at about 11:00, staff were not sure if he was drunk or on drugs but he seemed out of it. Customer just walked into the branch, staff sat at and internet pod and slumped on the keyboard. When staff asked the customer what they wanted to do, the customer said they wanted to “smash someone's face in”, at which point staff called the police. The police attended quite quickly to escort the customer out. The customer got very abusive with the police and threatened to smash their faces in. Eventually, the police cuffed the customer’s hands and legs and carried the customer out of the branch. The branch closed for a short while afterwards as the staff were so shaken.

Case 4

Details:

A frontline staff member was carrying out the morning entry inside the building and as she was about to exit the branch, she witnessed an observer talking with an individual. The individual seemed to be shouting at staff. Staff remained inside and could see police arriving at the scene. The police spoke to the aggressive individual who then rode off on his bike.

The reason for the individual being aggressive is he tried to attach his bike to the handrail of the branch where the front door is, which would have obstructed the disability ramp for customers. When challenged he got annoyed and started swearing at staff. Staff called the police and they arrived in 2 minutes. Staff were “all ok”.

Case 5

Details:

A staff member called to say that she was approached by a man when she was walking across a field on her way to work. She had headphones on at first and didn’t realise what he was saying to her at first, but then she noticed him shouting. She took her headphones off and he said, “sort out my f***ing account out or I will come round your house”. The staff member was shocked and continued walking. She turned back and he was just staring at her with his dog on a lead. Staff was unsure if he really knows where she lives. The staff member had seen him before walking his dog in the area but had never served him before so did not know his details. The staff member was advised to call the police and provide the branch with police reference.

Case 6

Details:

A frontline staff member reported an aggressive customer who visited the branch. The customer became aggressive when the staff member informed the customer that their account had been closed. He was sitting down but when he found out  his account was closed, he stood up and started swearing saying “don’t f****** mess with me, get me my 38 grand now, say that f***** again”. The staff member did not feel like the customer would get physically violent however he was up close to the branch manager’s face. He said “This bank is s*** and I will be going to the press with this”. Staff called the police on 999 as the customer was refusing to leave. He left the premises before the police arrived. Police did not provide a reference number. Police have informed staff to call them on 999 if the customer returns. They advised staff to inform security control room of any more updates.