Lincolnshire Co-Op is to kit al staff in its food and pharmacies with body cameras due to an increase in the abuse they are receiving.
It says there have been a 245 per cent increase in reports of violent behaviour towards its colleagues in the last five years.
That includes 127 incidents of abuse in its 99 food stores and 23 in its 44 pharmacies.
In South Holland it has food stores in Holbeach, Whaplode, Gosberton, Donington and Spalding and has pharmacies in the latter two.
Lincolnshire Co-Op says it has spent £200,000 on the measures after it was trialled in stores in Lincoln.
Security manager Mark Foulds said: “We have had positive feedback from the trial sites with colleagues telling us the body cameras helped them to feel more confident and secure.
“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.”
Mr Foulds said that incidents vary 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, but there are a minority whose actions are unacceptable,” he said. “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.”
Mr Foulds said that age-related sales refusals and shoplifting are two particular flashpoints.
“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,” he said. “We have also seen a 37 per cent 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,” added Mr Foulds.
