Boots to roll out body-worn cameras to over 300 stores

British pharmacy chain Boots has said that it is set to roll out body-worn video cameras to an additional 225 stores across the UK in a bid to reduce incidents involving violence towards its employees.

The announcement follows an initial pilot in 83 of the retailer’s stores, with it stating that it had seen evidence of the initiative working.

According to Boots, its stores in the ‘Safer City’ programme have seen a 68 percent reduction in incidents.

The move builds on Boots’s effort to support its in-store team members, for whom it has also introduced additional panic alarms, a CCTV Monitoring Centre unit and headsets for team members to allow for faster communication.

“We’re pleased that introducing body-worn cameras is helping to make our stores a safer place to work and shop,” said Iona Blake, security and incident manager at Boots, in a release.

Blake continued: “Stores that consistently wear their devices have seen around a 45 percent reduction in incidents, but what’s even more compelling is hearing how much safer and more confident our team members feel when wearing them.”