Major supermarket Lidl has shared that it will be giving out body-worn cameras to staff in all its stores. This follows a surge in shoplifting and violence towards workers.
Lidl claimed this would make it the first UK supermarket firm to ensure bodycams were used in every store as standard.
According to Sky, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Co-op all offer body cameras to staff to increase their safety.
Lidl GB, which has more than 960 stores, said it would invest £2million from the end of the month to ensure every store had the new security measures. The supermarket aims for the rollout to be complete by spring 2024.
All Lidl staff will receive training to ensure the cameras are used safely and in a way that protects an individual’s privacy.
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Last month, Lidl became a founding member of Project Pegasus, a business and policing partnership that aims to combine law enforcement powers with industry knowledge to target serious and organised retail crime.
The supermarket committed £60,000 of funding over two years to the cause.
Retailers told Home Secretary Suella Braverman that action must be taken after a sharp increase in crime in this sector, PA Media reported.
Industry lobby group the British Retail Consortium backed this up. According to the 2023 BRC Crime Survey, incidents of violence and abuse towards retail staff have almost doubled on pre-pandemic levels to 867 incidents every day in 2021/22.
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The situation has clearly got worse; a separate BRC survey of members in 2023 found that levels of shoplifting in 10 major cities had risen by an average of 27 percent.
This is not to mention the cascade of recent press stories detailing the wave of theft and violence currently impacting shops across the UK.
Ryan McDonnell, chief executive at Lidl GB, stated: As a business with over 960 stores across the length and breadth of the country, safety and security has always been an absolute priority for us. While our stores are typically safe environments, retail crime is something that is impacting the whole industry.
“Our investment into ensuring all our stores have body-worn cameras is just one of the ways we’re taking action to protect and provide reassurance to our colleagues and customers.”
“While our stores are typically safe environments, retail crime is something that is impacting the whole industry.
“Our investment into ensuring all our stores have body-worn cameras is just one of the ways we’re taking action to protect and provide reassurance to our colleagues and customers.”
Express.co.uk has contacted Lidl for comment.
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