12 October 2021

SND-ME takes a look at the new landscape of retail post lockdown and details how body worn cameras may be the solution to violence and harassment of workers  Crimes of violence against shopworkers should never be tolerated, however as the world entered into a series of lockdowns during the largest pandemic we have witnessed in recent history, the public took their anger out on key workers, predominantly retail staff. Due to the pandemic, frontline retail employees were subsequently tasked with ensuring that shoppers adhered to social distancing rules and wore face coverings.  All too often, retail workers have faced threats, abuse and assault as they go about their job. A recent BRC report reveals the true scale of what is becoming a significant and growing problem. According to the report, more than 150,000 incidents of abuse and violence occur every year – that’s 455 incidents every day – with 90% of retailers now identifying the abuse of their staff as a top issue.  The pandemic appears to have escalated and normalised anti-social behaviour against shop workers to such an extent that retailers now want action. To combat the rising tide of violence, retailers want abuse against shop workers to become a statutory offence. The hope is that this will improve the prosecution and reporting of such crimes – which typically occur when shopworkers are simply enforcing the law by undertaking, for example, age-restricted sales checks.  In June, a new report by the Home Affairs Committee called for a stronger policing response to tackle the escalating problem of unacceptable violence against shop workers. It also recommended the creation of an Employers Charter that sets out how employers should support and protect staff. While many retailers have already grasped the benefits of implementing fixed video surveillance to protect their public-facing staff and stock, recent advancements in body worn camera technologies now offer significant advantages when it comes to keeping people safer.  In recent years, body worn camera technology has evolved to become a truly wearable technology that is ideal for accurately recording incidents and keeping front line workers safer when dealing with members of the public.  Police forces have long recognised the benefits of utilising body cameras to provide reliable evidence, maintain public perceptions and confidence in law enforcement legitimacy, and prevent crime. Individuals often change their behaviour towards officers when they know they are being recorded, which in turn can help prevent certain situations from escalating. Captured video provides corroborating evidence of how events unfolded and can also be used to train personnel in the best strategies to use in challenging situations.   Initially reserved for law enforcement, there have been some major developments since the technology was first introduced two decades ago. Today’s body cams are smaller, lighter, offer better performance and greater reliability, and are considerably more versatile than before.   In particular, new high speed data connectivity and more advanced features such as two-way audio, geo-tagging, and alarm features have all added to the effectiveness today’s commercial body camera wearers enjoy.  The arrival of body cams supported by cloud-based connectivity makes it commercially realistic for retailers to implement these highly advanced cameras on affordable long-term subscriptions. The use of a cloud infrastructure means it’s now possible to manage a large number of cameras online – all of which can be monitored from a control room. In the same cloud video management platform, video from both fixed cameras and body cameras can also be reviewed, instead of having different applications for each.  Cloud-based video surveillance makes it possible to access and share video anywhere, receive real-time alerts the moment an incident is detected, and undertake real-time remote viewing and direct-to-cloud recording. By streaming live video to a monitoring or security operations centre and using geo-tagging, retailers are able to provide their users with immediate response and support.  By utilising today’s professional-grade body camera services, retailers can both improve staff safety and accountability, and instantly provide valuable evidence to the police. Plus, the integration of analytics and AI technologies has enabled the creation of truly smart solutions that can track and interpret video to provide insight across an increasing range of use cases. All of which makes it possible for security managers to receive alerts under specific circumstances, against certain rules, or when those wearing the cameras wish to trigger one.  The benefits  Cencuswide conducted research that reveals 75% of retail staff have encountered a scenario at work that made them feel at risk of physical abuse, 88% frequently feel unsafe at work and only 32% would call their manager for help if they felt they needed it.  Moreover, the statistics give insight into the types of safety measures that retail staff need and would benefit from to protect them from receiving physical or verbal abuse. Retailers, such as Boots and Co-op have recently started trialling and implementing body worn cameras into their stores in an effort to decrease violent and abusive behaviour towards their staff.  Body worn video technology can help retail staff to feel safer at work with the camera acting as a deterrent to possible abusive altercations with members of the public, as well as providing vital evidence should an incident occur. Here are some of the main advantages for retailers to invest in body worn camera technology.  Evidence capture: Captures both video footage and audio recordings that can be used for evidential purposes, and this is done by ensuring that the cameras are mounted on a person which provides better angles than CCTV. Face identification, which is particularly useful at capturing the person’s identity, acts as proof of evidence about the person committing the abuse. This level of evidence makes it easier to gain a conviction.  When the cameras are then linked with the Peoplesafe Pro app, retail workers can raise an SOS alarm to support them if they are experiencing physical or verbal abuse. This means that they can get help during the incident as well as having evidence available for criminal proceedings. For more information on