Workplace violence incidents are a growing issue facing retailers around the world, with retail associates at a higher risk of being involved in violent incidents than most other professions. 2023 tied 2022 as the most violent year in retail, and early reports suggest 2024 is on pace to be even more violent. Moreover, these issues are not isolated to specific retailers — big or small — as a National Retail Federation (NRF) annual survey found 67% of retailers reported an increase of aggression and violence in 2023 compared to 2022. The result of this violence not only affects frontline workers but also the communities in which they serve. Last year, over 45% of retailers adjusted specific store operating hours with nearly 30% reducing or altering in-store product selections and 28% completely closing store locations due to the rise of violence.

Canada is experiencing the same global trends throughout its provinces, impacting communities and forcing retailers to heighten safety measures. According to the Retail Council of Canada, incident frequency has increased more than 300% over the past four years, and severity of these incidents is alarming.

While police services across Canada are doing their best to mitigate this issue, they cannot solve the crisis alone — success relies on joint efforts with retailers to help create safer communities.

Leveraging technology

Axon is guided by the mission to Protect Life. Beginning with technology solutions for law enforcement, the company is now providing solutions across every major industry to make communities safer and protect lives in more places. Through an evolving ecosystem of interconnected technology, Axon provides the necessary deterrence and de-escalation hardware and software to enable law enforcement, private security, retail associates and the broader community to mitigate violence and promote a safer living experience.

“Some of our communities have become more dangerous and more violent — and it impacts us all,” says Axon Founder and CEO, Rick Smith. “It changes the quality of our life, our comfort going out enjoying time with our families and friends. In order for society to function well, it needs to function safely. Axon technology can play an enormous role in rebuilding safety within our communities by deploying the right technology in the right places to deter the small actions before they accumulate into big problems.”

The alarming trends in workplace violence have led to a diminishing sense of safety for both customers and retail associates in stores. Technology solutions from Axon, such as body-worn cameras, have proven successful for police services, and Axon President Josh Isner believes there’s growing evidence and confidence similar solutions can help retail security.

“Every day there’s a new statistic about violence in retail that is simply staggering, and, at Axon, we really believe we can impact and reverse the trends,” says Isner. “In the early days of public safety, when we started putting body-worn cameras on police officers, the behavior improved on both sides of the camera. Similarly, in retail, we believe that Axon technology in retail locations can drive safer outcomes, with fewer opportunities to steal and to abuse workers. We are confident we are going to have a massive impact on mitigating violence and creating safer communities.”

Axon is committed to reversing the trends of retail violence by deploying the same safety technology police services trust in a tailored design specifically for retail loss prevention officers and associates. Through significant financial and resource investment, Isner says Axon is committed to retail safety and will continue to focus on collaborating with police services and retailers to create safer shopping environments.

“We want to be the driver of more safety in retail,” he explains. “Retailers are feeling a lot of pain right now – they’re having to manage a lot of loss, there’s more being stolen from stores, and workplace safety incidents are escalating very quickly. These are real problems that need real solutions. We believe that we have the ability and potential to help rebuild safer communities through safer retail environments.”

Partnering with retailers

Axon has introduced a suite of integrated technology to help deter incidents and de-escalate violent situations. Axon Fusus provides organizations and law enforcement with real-time situational awareness for enhanced safety. Combined with key integrations with retail crime intelligence pioneer Auror and the leading provider of mobile security units LiveView Technologies, the Axon Fusus platform helps bridge the gap between retail and law enforcement information sharing.

Axon Body Workforce, the first body-worn camera from Axon designed to protect frontline workers by deterring and de-escalating incidents, can lend support in real-time and promote transparency and ease of sharing data with law enforcement to expedite the path from incident to adjudication. Axon Body Workforce has been trialed and deployed by some of the largest global retailers, and results prove the technology can create safer retail environments. One trial retailer saw a 53% reduction in incidents, while another reported 47% of active incidents being effectively de-escalated after activating recordings on the camera.

“When launching new technology, specifically body-worn cameras, there’s always a lot of skepticism up front. But, we quickly have made believers out of people when they see how much safer they can be as a result of this technology and how much more pleasant their interactions with customers are,” adds Isner. “We believe that, over time, we’ll have the same kind of phenomenon take place in retail where some of our skeptics early on will become our biggest mavens and believers down the road.”

A recent study conducted by Adrian Beck, Emeritus Professor and founder of the Department of Criminology at the University of Leicester, UK, reviewed the use and impact of body-worn cameras in retail, polling 16 retailers in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States. Key findings offer promising results - eight of the 16 retailers provided indicative data showing a reduction in the number of incidents of violence and verbal abuse by an average of 37%. Additionally, one respondent offered data showing that 45% of the time a situation was de-escalated by turning on the body-worn camera and various responses suggested as many as 66%-80% of staff felt safer because of the introduction of body-worn cameras.

In Canada specifically, food and pharmacy leader Loblaw is enhancing security measures by piloting Axon Body Workforce on select store associates and asset protection leaders in two communities to ensure safer stores for associates and customers. The goal of the pilot is to measure the efficacy of body-worn cameras in deterring incidents and de-escalating potentially violent customer interactions. This initiative is part of broader safety measures by Loblaw and its commitment to employee and guest safety.

By embracing innovation and strengthening partnerships between retailers and law enforcement, the path to safer retail environments becomes clearer. Together, these efforts can help curb rising violence and protect the workers and communities most affected.