Lincolnshire Co-op has committed £200,000 to introduce body cameras across its 99 food stores and 44 pharmacies.
The investment aims to tackle rising retail crime as the society has seen a 245% increase in incidents of threats and abuse to colleagues in the past five years.
It follows a successful trial earlier this year in four locations which has received positive feedback and colleagues feeling 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,” explained security manager Mark Fould.
Foulds said incidents vary and can include abusive and foul language, threats against colleagues or their families and in some cases, physical attacks.
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,” added Foulds.
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.
In food stores, teams use headsets to communicate with other colleagues, which can be a deterrent to offenders. Banning orders can be used against known perpetrators and the security team also works closely with local police forces to pursue Criminal Behaviour Orders against prolific offenders.
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