Theft and violence in supermarkets have been on the rise in recent years.

This has prompted major chain Coles to roll out body-worn cameras across 30 of their locations in South Australia, Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia.

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Coles Transformation General Manager Sophie Wong states that the move was in response to an increase in retail crime, as well as the verbal and physical abuse their staff have been victim to due to more and more people struggling with their cost of living expenses.

If you frequent Coles, you may have already noticed the camera-equipped security guards and staff in some stores.

Major supermarkets, including Coles, have equipped their security guards with body-worn cameras to prevent in-store crimes. Credit: Shutterstock

They have been appearing in select stores since late last year. However, Wong pointed out that ‘the recordings aren’t a long-term thing’.

'The cameras comply with Australian privacy laws and regulations and that Coles would not hold on to the vision “for any longer than a few weeks”,' she said.

Retail experts explained that the threat of retail crime costs Australian businesses $9 billion per year, and have urged Coles to take extra measures in order to combat the issue.

One example of this is the duress watches that security guards and staff can wear.

Not only can they activate the device to alert the police if they’re in danger, but it is hoped that the presence of body-worn cameras will be intimidating enough to deter these behaviours.

South Australian Police Assistant Commissioner Scott Duval said this technology has been especially useful in deterring organised rackets stealing thousands of dollars worth of groceries, moving them freely across state borders, and getting away with it.

'What we’ve seen ... is that people police have not been able to identify (are put) onto the Crime Stoppers website, and we have very good outcomes in terms of now identifying those people and holding them to account for their crimes,' Duval said.

Coles believes body-worn cameras help fight organised crimes worth thousands of dollars in groceries. Credit: Shutterstock

The body-worn cameras, in addition to Woolworths’ similar recent trials on the measure, are an indicator of how supermarkets are trying to make shopping a safe and enjoyable experience for both staff and customers.

Key Takeaways

• Coles supermarket has introduced body-worn cameras in 30 high-risk stores across South Australia, Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia to combat increased theft and violence towards staff.
• Retail crime has been on the rise, with Coles' total stock loss up 20 per cent last financial year; overall theft reportedly costs Australian businesses around $9 billion every year.
• The body-worn cameras, which are also being trialled by other supermarkets, including Woolworths, will record activity and provide live feed to management. Data will be kept for no more than a few weeks, adhering to Australian privacy laws and regulations.
• Other measures being employed include duress watches, which can notify police directly in a crisis situation—a method that has proved beneficial during trials.

How do you feel about body-worn cameras? Do you believe it will help combat the rising grocery theft happening around the country? We would love to know your thoughts on this security precaution in the comments below!

 

[mylittletibbies]

Sorry, but having lived in a "developing"country for more than decade where crime is out of control , murder is an everyday occurrence as is gang rape and as is almost unrestricted corruption, and having survived unscathed, you don't know what you are talking about when you refer to our "out of control crime problems".

There is nothing, quite nothing, like poverty in a country of affluence, as is Australia, to lead people to shoplifting. That was the problem in the UK of the 1700s and 1800s which gave rise to transportation to Australiia for stealing a loaf of bread.

So do you think we should wait until this country is as bad as the developing country you are talking about, before we actually do anything about it.
There is no need for theft, there are plenty of charities who will help out with food boxes, etc. A lot of these people are stealing alcohol, not food, and the rest of us pay for their crimes by rising prices, on top of the price gouging of the supermarkets themselves.