Central Co-op has hit one year of colleague bodycams in stores since first introducing them in 2021.
The convenience retailer is reinforcing its commitment to colleague safety and security as the UK heads into winter season and the nights get darker.
It comes at the start of Respect for Shopworkers Week 2022, an initiative started by the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) to protect retail workers from violence and abuse.
Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning
Figures from the first six months of 2022 show significant drops in verbal abuse and threats compared to the previous year, and the bodycams work to deter would-be criminals alongside surveillance of volatile incidents.
However, despite this, there has been a recent rise in retail staff being abused by customers as the cost-of-living crisis intensifies.
This summer, Central Co-op extended bodycams to a further 38 stores after an initial rollout of 50 stores and continues to “listen to staff regarding their safety and security at work.”
This includes the introduction of centrally monitored CCTV that can be activated at the touch of a button, and an increased number of security guards.
The retailer has been supporting changes in the legal penalties for assaulting shop workers, including new legislation in which abuse against individuals who serve the public has become an aggravated offence.
“All of our colleagues have actually felt a lot safer since the introduction of bodycams,” store manager Gillian Evans said.
“We now have peace of mind that aggressive behaviour can be recorded and handed to authorities, if necessary, but we’ve also noticed that their presence defuses situations where tensions may escalate.
It’s hard to imagine working without them now, and although the vast majority of our shoppers are respectful and law abiding, these body cameras serve as a deterrent and added security when required.”
The news comes as a new annual survey from Usdaw has revealed that over 20% of retail staff are not reporting assault or acts of violence due to lacking confidence that it would make a difference.
