Mitie and Co-op roll-out hand-held forensic spray to deter attacks on shopworkers and curb violent crime

Co-op is the first major supermarket to see 安全 Officers equipped with a new forensic spray designed to deter attacks on frontline shopworkers and curb rising levels of violent crime.

The move comes against a backdrop of rising levels of crime against shopworkers and will see Mitie 安全 Officers specially trained in the use of the handheld spray which contains a unique SmartWater® forensic signature.

Trials in South Yorkshire have already shown SmartTag™ to calm potentially violent incidents, 并阻止他们升级.

The 科技nology will be used by Mitie 安全 Officers in around 400 stores, and can be moved to different locations based on the latest 情报. Only used in the most extreme circumstances, 安全 Officers can spray violent offenders with SmartWater® which provides evidence for the police to act on later.

侦缉警司李·贝里, who launched a pilot with 安全 Officers with South Yorkshire Police, 说:

“Our aim was to create a deterrent for door staff to diffuse violent incidents before they escalated. Over 100 canisters were deployed across the county following a successful trial in Sheffield. We received great feedback from security staff who said they had diffused situations by warning those involved that they would be forensically marked.”

Andrew Needham, Co-op Head of 零售 Loss and 安全, 说:

“Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our colleagues who work tirelessly to serve communities. No one should have to face violence just for doing their job, and we are doing everything we can to protect them. As a community retailer we see the impact of social issues in our stores, and alongside the latest 科技nology the root causes of crime in communities must also be addressed – that is why we are calling for 政府 to introduce greater protection for shop workers with stiffer penalties for those convicted to send out a clear message that violence, abuse and anti-social behaviour is not acceptable.”

Jason Towse, Managing Director, 业务 Services, Mitie, said:

“Ensuring the safety of everyone in store has always been our priority, even more so in the context of COVID-19. 我们继续投资新技术, 例如SmartTag, that can act as a deterrent and support the Police in their investigations, 帮助留住我们的军官, 商店工人和当地社区安全.”

Before the 安全 Officers are equipped with SmartTag, they must participate in a special training course, Gary Higgins, COO of SmartWater Technology, 说: 

“We have sought the advice of both the police and top legal teams, creating a training module that ensures the staff know the correct way to use SmartTag. It proved to be a powerful deterrent in South Yorkshire, and we’re delighted that Mitie and the Co-op have taken the initiative to be the first supermarket to roll-out the 科技nology.”

SmartWater is the only forensic product of its type that is compliant with the requirements of the 政府’s Forensic Science Regulator and, 不像不合格的产品, 可以作为法庭上的证据. This year will also see Co-op more than double the number of stores where colleagues wear body-worn cameras. Over 550 stores are expected to use the 科技nology which can send real-time audio and visual footage to Mitie’s 安全 Operation Centre at the push of a button.