Lincolnshire Co-op is stepping up its security measures with a £200,000 investment in body cameras for colleagues as retail and pharmacy outlets face increasing levels of threats, abuse and violence.
The society, which operates in Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and surrounding counties, says it has seen a 245% increase in incidents of threats and abuse to colleagues in the past five years. In the past year, 127 incidents have been reported in food stores and 23 in pharmacies.
Retail crime has been showing an alarming rise in recent years and has been the focus of a campaign by the retail co-op movement, working alongside the Co-op Party and store worker’s unions, with the government pledging action for tougher laws and more effective policing. In February, the Co-op Group published its ten-point plan for police and lawmakers to deal with the problem.
In its latest response, Lincolnshire says its 99 food stores and 44 pharmacies are being issued with body cameras, following a successful trial earlier this year in four locations – Sincil Street Food Store and Monks Road Food Store in Lincoln, Birchwood Pharmacy in Lincoln and Woodville Road Food Store in Boston.
“We have had positive feedback from the trial sites with colleagues telling us the body cameras helped them to feel more confident and secure,” said security manager Mark Foulds. “The cameras are front-facing so show the customer what the colleague sees, which we believe may help with de-escalating incidents or make people think twice about what they are doing and how they are treating our colleagues.
“They also record both video and audio which we can share with relevant authorities when we believe a crime has taken place.”
Incidents vary, Foulds added and can include abusive and foul language, threats against colleagues or their families and in some cases, physical attacks.
“The vast majority of our customers are polite and respectful,” he said, “but there are a minority whose actions are unacceptable.
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“This not only impacts on our colleagues – who are simply trying to provide the best service they can to our communities – but it can also impact on our other customers, who can find these incidents distressing and who don’t want to see our colleagues treated in that way.”
Age-related sales refusals and shoplifting are two particular flashpoints., said Foulds. “Our teams have a responsibility to enforce the legal requirements around age-related sales for products like cigarettes, vapes and alcohol but regularly face abuse and threats from customers when asked for ID, or when a sale is refused.
“We have also seen a 37% rise in shoplifting in the past year, which is another trigger.”
In pharmacies, incidents have arisen over prescriptions, often due to delays in other parts of the NHS network, or medication availability.
“There are various brands of prescription medication, and we have had several occasions when abuse has happened after we have prescribed the correct generic drug, but not what the patient expected to receive from their GP,” said Foulds.
There are a range of other security measures in place in Lincolnshire Co-op outlets. These include security guards in some locations, CCTV monitored by central service desk, and personal attack alarms.
In food stores, teams use headsets to communicate with other colleagues, which can be a deterrent to offenders. Banning orders can be used against known perpetrators and the security team also works closely with local police forces to pursue Criminal Behaviour Orders against prolific offenders.
Sincil Street Food Store in the centre of Lincoln, next to the city’s Transport Hub, has been one of the pilot locations. Manager Sarah Hutt said the cameras are a welcome addition to the other security measures they have in store.
“It makes us feel more confident as we know the body cameras may help defuse incidents,” she said. “We enjoy working in retail and providing the best service we can to our customers but the impact of those who act in an unacceptable way can make the job difficult for myself and the team. We’re grateful to our regulars and all the other customers who use our store and treat us with respect and kindness.”
Birchwood Pharmacy in Lincoln’s Jasmin Road was another trial location. Pharmacy service assistant Minnie Grainger said the body cameras increased the team’s sense of security.
“You can see customers taking notice of the body cameras and any that were thinking about getting abusive thought twice about it after seeing them. It helps both colleagues and our other customers enjoy the safety that we all deserve,” she said.
“We have so many regulars that come in and bring a smile to our faces, and it really is a minority who act in an abusive way but it’s good to have the cameras to give us extra security.”
