In the wake of a 245% increase in threats, abuse, and violence to its staff Lincolnshire coop is investing £200k in body cameras for al of its 99 food stores and 44 pharmacies.
Security Manager Mark Foulds said: “We have had positive feedback from four trial sites with colleagues telling us the body cameras helped them to feel more confident and secure.
“The cameras are front-facing so show the customer what the colleague sees, which we believe may help with de-escalating incidents or make people think twice about what they are doing and how they are treating our colleagues.
“They also record both video and audio which we can share with relevant authorities when we believe a crime has taken place.”
Mr Foulds said that incidents vary and can include abusive and foul language, threats against colleagues or their families and in some cases, physical attacks.
“The vast majority of our customers are polite and respectful, but there are a minority whose actions are unacceptable,” he said. “This not only impacts on our colleagues – who are simply trying to provide the best service they can to our communities – but it can also impact on our other customers, who can find these incidents distressing and who don’t want to see our colleagues treated in that way.”
Mr Foulds said that age-related sales refusals and shoplifting are two particular flashpoints.
“Our teams have a responsibility to enforce the legal requirements around age-related sales for products like cigarettes, vapes and alcohol but regularly face abuse and threats from customers when asked for ID, or when a sale is refused,” he said. “We have also seen a 37% rise in shoplifting in the past year, which is another trigger.”
The society, which operates in Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and surrounding counties, has seen a 245% increase in incidents of threats and abuse to colleagues in the past five years. In the last year, there has been 127 incidents reported in food stores and 23 in pharmacies. There are a range of other security measures in place in Lincolnshire Co-op outlets. These include security guards in some locations, CCTV monitored by central service desk, and personal attack alarms.
