Central England Co-op extends body cams in 38 more stores

Central England Co-op (CEC) is rolling out colleague body cameras to a further 38 stores after successful run of an initial roll out, reports stated today (24).

Central England Co-op, which has over 260 stores across 16 counties, initially launched the body cam trial in over 50 of its stores last year after an initial trial in two Birmingham stores.

Now, due to its positive impact in tackling crime, the body cams will be rolled out across another 38 stores across the business in an effort to deter threats and acts of violence towards colleagues and security guards, reports stated.

Stores included in the new rollout are Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, the West Midlands and Yorkshire.

New figures covering the first six months of this year from CEC stores do show 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 reveal continued rises in assaults, with 56 recorded in the first six months of the year compared to 41 in the same period in 2021, and in thefts, with 5,855 compared to 5,356

Nicola Walton, Loss Prevention Advisor, said, “Our body camera roll out 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 roll out 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.

“This will provide us with another tool in our efforts to have a zero tolerance approach to any type of crime towards our colleagues and customers. We now ask shoppers to work with us to make sure that nobody has to face abuse or violence in their place of work.”