Home » UK Employment news » Tesco staff offered bodycams after rise in violent attacks
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Tesco's CEO has urged a change in UK law to categorize abuse and violence against retail workers as criminal offences.
Ken Murphy said the supermarket is offering its staff body-worn cameras as a protective measure.
He said the move is in response to physical assaults on its staff, which have risen by a third in a year.
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Over the past four years, Tesco has invested £44 million in enhancing security.
This includes door access systems, protective screens, digital radios, and these newly introduced cameras.
Murphy said: “Money spent on making sure people are safe at work is always well spent.
“But it should not have to be like this.
"Crime is a scourge on society and an insult to shoppers and retail workers.
“These people are small in number but have a disproportionate impact.”
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It was “time we put an end to it,” he added.
He said the rise rise in incidents is “unacceptable” and the impact on workers “heartbreaking.”
He said: “I want those who break the law in our stores brought to book.
“After a long campaign by retailers and the union Usdaw, last year the government made attacking shop workers an aggravating factor in convictions – meaning offenders should get longer sentences.
“Judges should make use of this power.
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“But we need to go further, as in Scotland, and make abuse or violence towards retail workers an offence in itself.”
He said businesses should have the right to access information on the progress of cases involving crimes committed in their stores.
He continued: “This would help us to spot patterns and provide reassurance that justice is being done.
“Gangs take advantage of the fact we do not share enough information.
"We’ll only be able to stop these thugs if we work together.”
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