Coles is trialling staff-worn body cameras in ‘select high-risk stores’ across the country, as supermarkets extend their use of technology to curb shoplifting and abuse of employees.

However, an expert in technology and privacy said they were concerned the invasive solution might not be the best way to solve the supermarket’s woes – and might make the problem worse.

A spokesperson for Coles said while most customers do the right thing, “measures like this are for the ones who don’t”.

“Body-worn cameras only record once activated,” the spokesperson said.

“If a team member feels unsafe in a situation, they can turn on their body camera and will inform the customer that they are turning it on for safety.”

Thirty stores in South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia will test the technology to see if it reduces theft and abuse of staff; however, Coles won’t name the participating stores.

Dr Katina Michael, from the University of Wollongong’s School of Computer and Information Technology, told The New Daily that flooding stores with different technological solutions may not be the answer to loss prevention.

“There should perhaps be other mechanisms by which we could have solutions, for example, better staff training to address issues,” Michael said.

“If we want to automate or record everything, it may exacerbate the issue at hand, whether it’s a shopper impatient to talk to a real person that could talk to them, provide directions or help with a returns issue.”

Technological solution

Australia’s supermarket duopoly has recently been trialling several different methods of reducing retail theft, including gates that shut automatically when they detect shoplifting and sensors in carts that shut if a customer leaves the store without paying.

Michael said the cameras won’t only capture people involved in incidents, but also others who are inadvertently recorded.

“What we’re going to see is shoppers engaging in private acts and actions in public space being surveyed by accident, for example when they are talking to their children or having an intimate conversation with their loved ones,” she said.

“That is a grey area for the law. We can definitely record in the public space, you can definitely record in the business, but when you have mobile surveillance cameras on humans, it creates a different dynamic and social implications.”

Surveillance in supermarkets isn’t a new concept, with Coles and Woolworths introducing cameras on their self-serve checkouts in 2019 and stores already heavily watched by CCTV.

Michael said the difference with Coles introducing staff-worn body cameras is that they are mobile.

“Surveillance from permanent fixtures on a ceiling or wall has a particular field of view and another is roaming as a wearable on a person,” she said.

“If you’re not carrying a listening or recording device, there’s no equivalence. You might feel someone has a power imbalance over you as a shopper.”

Staff safety?

Abuse of staff is a serious issue in retail settings, with research from the McKell Institute finding that 85 per cent of retail workers reported being abused or assaulted at work.

Gerard Dwyer, national secretary of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA), said the union is open to the lawful use of any technology that improves the safety of members “by giving them additional protection as they perform their essential work”.

“The SDA will continue to work with the industry and government to reduce the current unacceptable rates of abuse from customers,” Dwyer said.

The issue was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, where restrictions on certain items and shortages resulted in rising levels of abuse.

Shortages on the shelves during COVID-19 lockdowns created tense situations for staff. Photo: TND

The Coles spokesperson said the safety of team members and customers is their top priority when introducing technology.

“We have a range of security measures in place to reduce theft from our stores including security personnel and surveillance technologies such as CCTV,” the spokesperson said.

“This trial has been well received by team members, who feel that the technology would benefit them if faced with a threatening situation.”