Central England Co-op is rolling out staff bodycams to a further 38 stores after finding reports of crime had dropped by almost 50% in the existing stores using them.
The 260-store retailer initially launched the bodycams in over 50 stores last year, after an initial trial in two Birmingham sites.
It said the rollout to the new stores, which are in areas including Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, would help to deter threats and acts of violence towards colleagues and security guards.
Store manager Nigel Smith, whose store was included in the initial rollout of the technology, said: “Having the bodycams in our store has proved really beneficial – they’ve given colleagues that extra reassurance and they have all taken to using them well.
“If people come into the store with intent to cause trouble, if they see we’ve got a camera on, it does make them think twice. When customers ask about them, we explain that they’re there for our protection but also for their protection as well, and we’ve had a really positive reaction to that and it’s great to see more of my colleagues receiving this technology for their stores.”
The move comes as the retailer reveals its six-month crime update for its entire estate. It said it showed “some green shoots of improvement” with significant drops in verbal abuse and threats compared to the previous year, when measures such as social distancing and mandatory mask wearing were more prevalent.
However, the figures also revealed continued rises in assaults, with 56 recorded in the first six months of the year compared to 41 in the same period in 2021. Incidents of thefts rose from 5,356 to 5,855.
Nicola Walton, loss prevention advisor, said: “Our body camera rollout last year to over 50 of our stores was a great success. It allowed our colleagues to feel safer while serving their communities and played its part as another deterrent to prevent crimes before they take place.
“We’re aware that any kind of crime can be frightening for store colleagues, and this is why we’re extending the rollout of the technology to 38 more stores across our trading estate.
“Over the past few years, we have invested heavily in a range of measures to keep our colleagues and customers safe, ranging from centrally monitored CCTV systems that can be activated at the touch of a button to increased numbers of security guards – today’s news is just another way we can continue to invest in keeping people safe at work and whole they shop.”
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