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Frontline workers across a British supermarket’s stores will be offered bodycams to combat the rise in violent attacks on its staff.
Figures reveal more than 200 Tesco employees are the victims of serious physical assaults each month.
A Tesco store in Hackney, east London. Credit: Bloomberg
Tesco chief executive Ken Murphy underlined the need for a change in the law along with policing in The Mail on Sunday.
Mr Murphy said: “As retailers, we work hard to make sure our stores are warm, welcoming and safe – not just for customers, but for the millions of people who stock the shelves, walk the floor and serve the tills. Like everyone, they deserve to be safe at work.
“But over the last couple of years, these unsung heroes are being made to feel less safe by the actions of some people: customers who will be verbally and physically abusive, or who will threaten and attack them when challenged.
“Incidents of violence and abuse against retail workers almost doubled from more than 450 per day in 2019-20 to more than 850 last year.”
“These people are small in number but have a disproportionate impact. And the number of these incidents is increasing.”
He added: “The British Retail Consortium found that incidents of violence and abuse against retail workers almost doubled from more than 450 per day in 2019-20 to more than 850 last year. At Tesco, physical assaults are up by a third on this time last year.
“This is unacceptable. And for these colleagues, their families, and all of us who know someone who works in retail, it’s heartbreaking.
“We’re doing our bit at Tesco – investing £44 million ($85 million) over the last four years on security measures such as door access systems, protection screens and digital radios.
“We’ve also rolled out body-worn cameras for colleagues that need them in order to deter offenders.”
Shoplifting costs firms nearly £1 billion a year and officers currently fail to attend more than two-thirds of serious retail crimes.
The Telegraph, London
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