Highstreet chain sees drop in crime with body cameras

Variety store chain Poundland has seen a significant reduction in serious incidents of theft and lesser cases of anti-social behaviour after installation of body cameras, one of its top executives has stated.

Calling body cameras are a "great visual deterrent" Adam Starkey, Investigations Manager at Poundland stated, "Since installation of the body cameras, we have seen a significant reduction in serious incidents.

"Colleagues have commented that the cameras support their confidence in dealing with anti-social behaviour and they feel protected in the working environment."

Having analysed data from the six months before and after installation, the stores where body cameras have been deployed have seen an average of an 11 per cent decrease in incidents reported, specifically violence towards colleagues, whereas stores without the body cameras have seen a significant increase, especially in violent, weaponised crime.

A high number of spotlight stores (high shrinkage outlets) have benefited from a significant decrease in shoplifting or have dropped off the spotlight list entirely.

"As a company we are focused on listening to our colleagues’ safety concerns and to help them with the issues they face in stores. We hold regular listening groups to encourage utilisation and share best practice.

"From an evidential point of view, the footage is of great quality and easy to manage. This gives further reassurance to our teams when we use the footage for successful prosecutions.”

The body cameras have now been deployed in 177 of the highest risk stores across Poundland and Dealz, with teams in several Pepco stores also equipped with the cameras. Stores across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were selected based on their incident and shrinkage data.

Poundland is using Motorola Solutions’ VideoManager digital evidence management solution to prepare, store and process video data, including the ability to tag and match body camera videos with CCTV footage and other incident data.

CSE has over 30 years’ experience in providing two-way radio and body camera video solutions. It branded the cameras with bespoke logo labels for each store.

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