BP has said it is continuing to invest in the security of its retail staff through the rollout of body-worn cameras in stores facing “higher levels of abuse and crime”.
In addition to implementing the wearing of Reveal body cameras, BP is also introducing the Auror retail crime intelligence platform to its 300 convenience stores.
The BP group said the initiatives are part of its strategy for keeping “colleagues and customers safe by increasing its capabilities to gather and share relevant intelligence on retail crime with local police and other retailers”, while bringing in tougher measures and advanced technology to “combat retail crime effectively”.
Auror is designed to help reduce verbal abuse of staff and tackle retail crime by allowing swift incident reporting, identifying repeat offenders, enabling seamless collaboration with the police, as well as sending real-time alerts on local criminal activities.
It will be rolled out across all of BP’s convenience stores in the coming months.
The deployment of body cameras manufactured by Reveal follows a successful pilot at eight BP UK stores in 2023, where they were deployed to deal with heightened levels of abuse.
The implementation of the cameras resulted in a decline in verbal abuse incidents and better collaboration with the local police. BP said some customers apologised for their behaviour as a ”direct result of seeing their action on the front-facing screens” of the cameras.
Body cameras are currently in use at 70 company-owned stores and are being launched in more BP stores with high rates of incidents.
Safety first
BP vice president of mobility and convenience retail Sonya Adams said: “Safety comes first at BP. We are always looking at ways we can create a safer working environment for colleagues and a better retail experience for customers.
“We serve millions of customers every week with the vast majority of transactions being pleasant and positive. However, in line with the rest of the retail sector, we are seeing an increase in crime and abuse of our colleagues, and that’s unacceptable.
“We will continue to collaborate with others in the sector, and invest in technology like Auror and the Reveal body cameras to help us combat these issues.”
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