Violence against shopworkers has increased dramatically in recent years and many retailers are turning to body worn cameras to protect their employees. Chris Allcard, lone worker services director at Reliance Protect, explains the benefits of using them and how a recent trial by a leading high street retailer clearly highlights the difference they can make
Retail workers are facing greater levels of verbal and physical abuse than ever before. A 2022 survey by the Retail Trust questioned 1,000 retail staff and found that two thirds think verbal and physical attacks have got worse in the last two years, more than two thirds said they were stressed or anxious about going into work and nearly half had considered quitting their jobs.
Call to action
Although these figures might come as a surprise, perhaps they shouldn’t. Most of us will have witnessed shoppers getting frustrated about price rises, items being out of stock and not enough staff on checkouts, and watched tensions escalate rapidly.
Having been concerned about the rising levels of violence and aggression towards its staff, a leading retailer with a network of over 1,000 retail outlets across England, Scotland and Wales decided to take action. It chose to work with Reliance Protect on a trial to ascertain the benefits and effectiveness of body worn cameras in reducing crime, providing reassurance and increasing safety.
Body worn cameras are increasingly popular within the retail sector. Firstly, they act as a deterrent. Secondly, they help diffuse potentially volatile situations. The reason is simple – people tend to be far less aggressive if they know they are being recorded. When confronting someone who is exhibiting antisocial behaviour, staff can be trained to inform them that they will be filmed, as part of a de-escalation process. Finally, they provide compelling evidence with high resolution video and audio recordings of the situation.
Number crunching
The trial took place over a 12-week period in eight stores that had been identified as having an increased volume of antisocial behaviour, shoplifting, and violent or aggressive incidents. A fully managed service from Reliance Protect provided four body worn cameras to each store, which staff used on rotation. The cameras were connected to Reliance Protect’s Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC), where an operator could review live stream footage in the event of an alarm, assesses the situation and, if necessary, provide immediate escalation to the police.
A post trial questionnaire was produced to gather feedback on the effectiveness of the body worn cameras.
Deep impact
When questioned, 58% of staff reported that they felt unsafe whilst at work prior to the trial starting, 81% said that the body worn cameras had improved their safety, with 91% wanting to carry on using them post trial. Before the trial, 94% of staff questioned had been involved in occurrences of shoplifting, aggressive behaviour or felt intimidated. Post trial, 72% of staff felt safer wearing them and, importantly, 58% of respondents felt generally safer at work.
On a wider level, after the trial, five out of the eight stores had experienced a decrease in overall incidents, with one benefiting from a 55% reduction. Where incidents did occur, evidence from the body worn cameras was able to assist police in resolving them by providing a more accurate record of events, and in certain cases the identification of perpetrators.
Success story
The results of the trial were compelling and have led to a wider rollout of body worn cameras across the retailer’s estate. These findings are substantiated by numerous other retailers that are currently using this technology to ensure the safety of workers, optimise loss prevention and promote good staff wellbeing and productivity. Improving the personal safety of staff also contributes to a more pleasant, comfortable, and enticing retail environment, which helps to increase footfall and customer engagement.
For further information please visit https://www.relianceprotect.co.uk/body-worn-cameras/
