Retail workers could be wearing body cams after Friday's terrorist attack

Monday, 6 September 2021

Police stand guard around Countdown LynnMall after a violent extremist stabbed six people before being shot by police on Friday.

Retailers will be reassessing their security, potentially even asking staff to wear body cameras, in the wake of Friday’s shock stabbing of six shoppers at an Auckland supermarket, the sector’s industry body says.

Greg Harford, chief executive of Retail NZ, said that the terrorist attack on New Lynn Countdown was on “a whole other level” and it was unlikely anything could have prevented it.

“It was truly hideous,” Harford said, but retailers would probably be reflecting on their own security in its wake.

Stuff takes to the streets of Wellington to ask members of the public how they feel about the use of facial recognition technology by some supermarkets.

* We are seeing increased violence directed at shop staff and something must be done

* Stabbing in Dunedin: Supermarkets look at safety measures amid rise in aggressive incidents

“We have been worried about the increasing aggression that we are seeing from the public and indeed violence that has been reported in store for quite a long time. This is not going away it is getting worse, if anything.”

Retail NZ had formed a working group on store security prior to Covid and there were various options businesses could consider, including the use of technology, even body cams.

“I think you might see businesses do that. You could see more of a security presence in stores and also things like facial recognition software, which I know some people aren't particularly fond of but is something that really helps to keep people safe.”

Smaller retailers would not be able to afford some of the higher tech methods but there were simpler alternatives, such as businesses sharing information between themselves and police. The Wellington Eyes On network was one such example, he said.

The reason for the aggression was hard to say. Some of it was criminal, some of it was just a “real upsurge in people feeling anxious and I think that has gotten a lot worse over the last 12 to 18 months since Covid arrived,” Harford said.

“It is ultimately a social problem. I think what we are finding is that there are lots of customers who are increasingly unable to manage in a way that most people would and think that being aggressive is a way to achieve their objective.”

First Union, which represents retail workers, said it had also been talking to supermarkets about how to keep staff security high.

Security cameras and security guard coverage were important but, vitally, so was having enough staff rostered on.

“The one thing that still comes out on top, and that people always say, is what makes them feel safe is having other staff around,” First Union retail organiser Tali Williams said.

Some supermarkets were having difficulty getting the staff they needed, she said.