More Loblaw employees to wear body cams following pilot project at Abbotsford Shoppers
'There are seemingly never-ending examples of violent, and sometimes extremely violent, people in stores everywhere who are putting at risk both employees and customers,' said Jess Ketchum, president of Ketchum Communications and co-founder of the Save Our Streets Coalition.
This week, Loblaw, which operates Shoppers Drug Mart, Real Canadian Superstore and other large retailers in B.C., said it looked at early results from a body-cam pilot program, which has been running for the past month at two stores in Abbotsford, as well as in other parts of the country.
They suggest 'body-worn cameras may help reduce violent incidents, but a broader, longer-term evaluation across more stores and banners is needed to assess their full impact,' the company said in a statement.
The cameras are activated only after employees are faced with a situation where there is a risk of escalation and fear for their safety or the safety of others, according to the company.
Only trained 'asset protection representatives, third-party security, store management and additional team members where applicable will be wearing the cameras, and participation in this pilot will be voluntary,' according to the company.
The company said it will be increasing the use of body cams from two to 11 stores in B.C. as part of an expansion of the pilot program that is also happening in other provinces. It did not identify the stores or their locations.
Ketchum said it was sound for the company to test the use of the body cams in a small pilot project and then expand it. He said other retailers have indicated an interest and they could follow if a large retailer with the expertise and funding to trial the use has success.
'At the end of the day, it should not be required and it will add to costs for retailers, which will be passed to consumers. That is a big concern,' said Ketchum.
Body cameras are not cheap, as we know from their use by police, he added.
'Let's solve the core issue and not just focus on the surveillance. They may help to be a deterrent in that people may be less likely to be violent if they see a body cam, but in too many circumstances, whether due to drugs or brain injury, people don't have the ability to be in control of their faculties.'
Save Our Street co-founder Clint Mahlman, president and chief operating officer at London Drugs, said he could not speak for other companies, but the move 'does underscore how retailers are trying to find ways to protect our employees.'
Mahlman said a recent court decision related to a repeat violent offender who had threatened his staff 'yet again demonstrates our judicial system is not there to protect retail employees from ongoing violence.'
In mid-March, a man who threatened to kill staff and smashed windows with a metal pipe at a London Drugs location in the Downtown Eastside was given a 60-day conditional sentence and 12 months of probation, but no jail time.
Meghan McDermott, policy director for the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, said it is important to ask if Loblaw is taking steps to ensure that consumers and employees in stores have given informed consent to their information and images possibly being collected, as well as how those images will be used and that they will be used to a reasonable degree.
'We need to be asking why they need to do this and how will it better protect customers and employees beyond the use of regular CCTV cameras,' she said.
In its pilot program for the two stores in Abbotsford, the company notified customers via a large sign that video surveillance and monitoring technologies were being used on its premises.
Greg Wilson, director of government relations in B.C. for the Retail Council of Canada, said there has been a dramatic increase in violence in retail settings against customers and employees. This has led to more interest in testing and using video camera technology to prevent crime and catch perpetrators.
'We're going to see a lot more of it,' he said. 'And I think most customers understand.'
jlee-young@postmedia.com
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