Aldi is offering body-worn cameras to staff in some of its stores as shoplifting rates soar across the retail sector.
The trial comes as UK CEO Giles Hurley told the Mirror that tackling theft is a “top priority”, adding that Aldi is “not immune” to the uptick across the industry.
Earlier this month, Tesco began offering body cameras to all store workers as physical assault cases on the leading retailer’s staff soared to more than 200 each month.
Morrisons is also introducing the devices to workers across 25 stores as part of a trial period.
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As the British Retail Consortium (BRC) found that abuse against retail workers has nearly doubled than that of pre-Covid levels, John Lewis chair Dame Sharon White urged the government to introduce tougher legislation.
“Legislation is different in Scotland, so if you’re a shop worker and you’re abused and attacked there’s a specific law that means it’s an offense,” she said.
Hurley added: “We support any measures that will ensure our colleagues enjoy a safe working environment.”
Iceland executive chairman Richard Walker agreed last week that police “need to have the resources to allow them to take this crime epidemic seriously”, adding “we also need the courts to impose serious sentences”.
This came as he told the MailOnline that colleagues are being “slapped, punched and threatened with a range of weapons including knives, hammers, firearms and hypodermic needles”.
