Lincolnshire Co-op has invested £200,000 to arm colleagues with body-worn cameras against the rising tide of abuse and violence.
The society, which operates food stores, petrol stations, pharmacies, travel branches and funeral homes across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, has seen a 245% increase in incidents of threats and abuse towards colleagues since 2019.
Over the past year alone, there have been 127 incidents reported in its 99 food stores, with a further 23 cases that occurred in its 44 pharmacies.
Age-related sales refusals and catching shoplifting were the two top triggers for abuse across the society’s food store estate, while incidents in its pharmacies were rising due to NHS delays in prescriptions or medication availability, it said.
To help tackle this rising issue, all Lincolnshire Co-op staff working in these estates will be issued with body-worn cameras. It follows a trial earlier this year in four stores in Lincoln and Boston.
“We have had positive feedback from the trial sites, with colleagues telling us the body cameras helped them to feel more confident and secure,” said security manager Mark Foulds.
“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.”
The body-worn cameras add to Lincolnshire Co-op’s other crime preventative measures, including security guards, headsets, CCTV and personal attack alarms.
The rollout comes as Lincolnshire Co-op enjoyed an 8.8% sales boost across its food store estate for the year ending 7 September 2024, helping to bring the society’s overall turnover to £375.6m, according to its latest financial results.
It said it planned to add 30 more convenience stores to its estate over the next three years.
Sales from its bakery brand Gadsby’s also recorded a rise in sales, up by 6.4%, while its Post Offices and travel branches grew 10.5% and 9.7% respectively.
Its pharmacy business, meanwhile, saw turnover drop by 2.9%, while the society’s funeral business recorded a 0.8% decrease following an “industry-wide move towards more unattended funerals”, it said.
Lincolnshire Co-op CEO Alison Hands said: “Thanks to the combined efforts of our people from food, travel, pharmacy, funeral, Post Office, property and our Support Centre, we have exceeded our expectations by hitting challenging budgets despite external factors. My thanks go out to all my colleagues and our members and customers, who continue to support us.”
No comments yet