Central England Co-op arms staff with body cams in over 50 Midlands stores

Central England Co-op is rolling out colleague body cameras to over 50 stores to keep staff safe and help tackle crime issues in the stores.

The initial trial run of body cam technology was done in two of its Birmingham stores. The retailer is now widening the use of body cameras in an effort to deter threats and acts of violence towards retail staff members and security guards.

Stores which will receive the new body cams are based in Stafford, Leicester, Nuneaton, Castle Donington, Derby, Peterborough and other parts of Birmingham.

Calling the Birmingham trial a “great success”, central England Co-op loss prevention advisor Nicola Walton revealed how the body cams made their colleagues to “feel safer while serving their communities and played its part as another deterrent to prevent crimes before they take place”.

“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,” Walton said, adding that body cams are “another tool in our efforts to have a zero tolerance approach to any type of crime towards our colleagues and customers”.

Major retailers, including central England Co-op, unions and industry bodies have been campaigning for stricter crime legal provision for crime against shop workers. Among the penalties that are called for is automatic prison term in retail crimes.

More than 10,000 incidents have been reported so far this year including 72 assaults, 879 cases of verbal abuse and threats, 272 anti-social behaviour reports and 159 direct incidents related to Covid-19, claimed recent figures, implying 31.1 per cent rise as compared to last year.

Other recent moves aimed at clamping down on crime include the expansion of centrally monitored CCTV to more stores. New specialist software and technology to protect lone workers will also be rolled out, while training packages and toolkits will be made available to colleagues to ensure they have the information and skills needed to keep safe.