Central England Co-op extends roll out of body cams in an effort to keep colleagues and customers safe

Posted by james brindle | Published: 27/06/2022

Central England Co-op (CEC) is rolling out colleague body cameras to a further 38 stores after an initial roll out proved successful in the retailer’s efforts to combat crime and keep colleagues and customers safe.

The retailer, which has over 260 stores across 16 counties, initially launched the body cams in over 50 of its stores last year after an initial trial in two Birmingham stores.

Now, due to its positive impact, it 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.

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

This comes after tougher penalties came into law for those who attack shop workers following a campaign by retailers, including CEC.

Under the new legislation, abuse against individuals who serve the public has become an aggravated offence and CEC is continuing its work to highlight the impact of violence and abuse towards its store colleagues and warn would-be criminals it is not worth the risk.

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.”

Store Manager Nigel Smith, whose store was included in the initial roll out of the technology, said: “Having the body cams in our store has proved really beneficial – they’ve given colleagues that extra reassurance and they have all taken to using them well.

“If people come into the store with intent to cause trouble, if they see we’ve a camera on it does make them think twice. When customers ask about them, we explain that they’re there for our protection but also for their protection as well and we’ve had a really positive reaction to that and it’s great to see more of my colleagues receiving this technology for their stores.”

Notes to editors

About Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK with interests in food, funeral, floral and property investment.

Owned by hundreds of thousands of members, its over 8,000 colleagues serve customers across 400 plus trading sites in 20 counties in the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

Its purpose is to inspire communities to create a sustainable Society for all.

It actively campaigns for the Government to increase sentencing for violent attacks on retail workers and works with FareShare Midlands and hundreds of food banks, generating enough food donations to create over 2.1 million meals for people in need.

The Society embraces inclusivity and equality and is a signed-up member to the Business in the Community (BITC) Race at Work Charter, while it is also fully committed to addressing the impact of climate change and is on track to be Carbon Neutral by 2030. 

It invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities through its Community Dividend Fund scheme which has seen over £175,000 shared out between 116 good causes over the past 12 months.

Central England Co-op was named Leading Co-op of the Year by Co-operatives UK in 2021.

Press office contact: James Brindle, Public Relations Lead

Contact details: email james.brindle@centralengland.coop and telephone 07392 080028.