Sobeys testing staff-worn body cameras at certain locations
Shoppers at Sobeys-owned stores may start noticing that some staff members are equipped with body cameras as part of a safety initiative.
Following reports that some staff members at a Sobeys-owned FreschCo supermarket on Sherbourne Street in downtown Toronto were seen wearing body cameras, the supermarket chain has confirmed that it’s testing out the technology.
In an email to Daily Hive, a representative stated, “We are piloting body-worn cameras (BWC) in a small number of select stores.”
However, she added that body cameras are not always switched on. In addition, it’s not a requirement, and store managers have the option to choose whether or not they want to participate in the pilot program.
“The units are activated only at the time of an incident and worn by store management who volunteered to take part and received training,” she stated. “BWCs are now a commonly used tool in retail crime prevention.”
Sobeys owns 1,600 stores across all 10 provinces. In addition to Sobeys and FreschCo, the company owns several supermarkets, such as Safeway, IGA, Foodland, and Thrifty Foods. Sobeys also owns Lawtons Drugs and over 350 retail fuel locations.
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Sobeys maintains that its use of body cameras complies with privacy laws and notes that signage in stores informs customers about other forms of video monitoring, such as CCTV. According to the company, results have been encouraging, and it believes that the program has helped curb the rising number of violent and aggressive incidents towards staff and customers. The company is now looking to expand the use of body cameras at its other locations.
Sobeys isn’t the first Canadian grocery chain to use body cameras in its stores.
In March, Loblaw said that it was testing out body cameras at several locations. The cameras were being used by trained third-party security and certain staff members.
According to Statistics Canada, although overall crime dropped in 2024, retail theft rose by 14 per cent compared to 2023. The number of shoplifting incidents also soared by 66 per cent from 2014 to 2024.