Body cameras brought in as a precautionary measure to help combat aggressive behaviour

Woolworths says it has rolled out the cameras at several Victorian stores as a “deterrent” to stop the minority of customers doing the wrong thing.

Supermarket staff are being fitted with body cameras in the bid to reduce aggressive behaviour towards staff with the new technology rolled out to 80 stores in Victoria.

Woolworths Group’s Chief Commercial Officer Paul Harker told a state parliamentary inquiry on Wednesday that aggression toward staff had grown through Covid and has continued, prompting the company to take precautionary measures to help staff.

“There’s a broad range of measures, and some of that involves technology,” he told the inquiry into food insecurity.

“I think we have all seen in some stores we have body cameras. They’re not always on. Normally, a team member will highlight the fact that they’re turning it on. But just having that available to our key team members on their person acts as a deterrent.

The body cameras have been brought in at some Woolworths stores. Picture: Dallas Kilponen

“Knowing that their behaviour will actually be witnessed by other people is something that keeps people in check.”

Mr Harker also said staff were undergoing virtual reality training to recreate real experiences so staff can learn “how to disengage and keep themselves safe”.

He told the panel that staff were not encouraged to approach, or try to arrest aggressive patrons and that new policies were constantly being considered.

“(Aggressive behaviour) was certainly a phenomenon that we saw rising during Covid, and regrettably, it hasn’t subsided in the way that we would like,” he said.

“The vast majority of people do the right thing, but, there are a minority, and unfortunately, even for our mind that’s too much and effects the safety of our team members enormously.”

Woolworths said it first trialled the cameras in 2021 and had since rolled them out to a number of stores across the country.

“We’re always looking at different methods to ensure the safety of our team and customers and it’s an ongoing focus for the business,” it said.

The cameras had been used widely in retail across the US and UK and had been effective in reducing the rate of reported incidents, it said.

Mr Harker and his counterpart from Coles, Head of Public Affairs Adam Fitzgibbons, were also grilled in the cost of groceries during the hearing.

Both maintained that the big supermarkets were not a duopoly and that they faced “robust competition” from other sellers.

Mr Fitzgibbons said told the panel that the big chain was aware of the cost pressure during the cost-of-living crisis and that the store had an array of affordable products including “pasta that costs less than $1”.

“(At the) inflationary peak that occurred, it coincided with a reduction in our profit margins. Our profit margin of 2.57 per cent was actually a decline on the previous year, which actually speaks to the fact that we had absorbed some of those inflationary pressures, rather than the pass them on.”

Supermarket staff are being fitted with body cams and receiving training on how to de-escalate aggressive behaviour from customers in Victoria.

Supermarket staff are being fitted with body cams and receiving training on how to de-escalate aggressive behaviour from customers in Victoria.

Woolworths Group’s Chief Commercial Officer Paul Harker has told a state parliamentary inquiry that aggression toward staff grew through Covid but has continued prompting the company to take precautionary measures to help staff.

“There’s a broad range of measures, and some of that involves technology,” he told the inquiry into food insecurity.

“I think we have all seen in some stores we have body cameras. They’re not always on. Normally, a team member will highlight the fact that they’re turning it on. But just having that available to our key team members on their person acts as a deterrent.

“Knowing that their behaviour will actually be witnessed by other people is something that keeps people in check.”

Mr Harker also said staff were undergoing virtual reality training to recreate real experiences so staff can learn “how to disengage and keep themselves safe”.

He told the panel that staff were not encouraged to approach, or try to arrest aggressive patrons and that new policies were constantly being considered.

“(Aggressive behaviour) was certainly a phenomenon that we saw rising during Covid, and regrettably, it hasn’t subsided in the way that we would like,” he said.

“The vast majority of people do the right thing, but, there are a minority, and unfortunately, even for our mind that’s too much and effects the safety of our team members enormously.”

Mr Harker and his counterpart from Coles, Head of Public Affairs Adam Fitzgibbons, were also grilled in the cost of groceries during the hearing.

Both maintained that the big supermarkets were not a duopoly and that they faced “robust competition” from other sellers.

Mr Fitzgibbons said told the panel that the big chain was aware of the cost pressure during the cost-of-living crisis and that the store had an array of affordable products including “pasta that costs less than $1”.

“(At the) inflationary peak that occurred, it coincided with a reduction in our profit margins. Our profit margin of 2.57 per cent was actually a decline on the previous year, which actually speaks to the fact that we had absorbed some of those inflationary pressures, rather than the pass them on.”