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Frontline workers across a British supermarket\u2019s stores will be offered bodycams to combat the rise in violent attacks on its staff.<\/p>\n
Figures reveal more than 200 Tesco employees are the victims of serious physical assaults each month.<\/p>\n
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A Tesco store in Hackney, east London. <\/span>Credit: <\/span>Bloomberg<\/cite><\/p>\n Tesco chief executive Ken Murphy underlined the need for a change in the law along with policing in The Mail on Sunday<\/em>.<\/p>\n Mr Murphy said: \u201cAs retailers, we work hard to make sure our stores are warm, welcoming and safe \u2013 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.<\/p>\n \u201cBut 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.<\/p>\n \u201cIncidents of violence and abuse against retail workers almost doubled from more than 450 per day in 2019-20 to more than 850 last year.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThese people are small in number but have a disproportionate impact. And the number of these incidents is increasing.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is unacceptable. And for these colleagues, their families, and all of us who know someone who works in retail, it\u2019s heartbreaking.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re doing our bit at Tesco \u2013 investing \u00a344 million ($85 million) over the last four years on security measures such as door access systems, protection screens and digital radios.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve also rolled out body-worn cameras for colleagues that need them in order to deter offenders.\u201d<\/p>\n Shoplifting costs firms nearly \u00a31 billion a year and officers currently fail to attend more than two-thirds of serious retail crimes.<\/p>\n