Co-op to roll-out hand-held forensic spray to deter attacks

The move will see Mitie security officers specially trained in the use of the handheld spray, containing a SmartWater forensic signature, which is compliant with the requirements of the government’s Forensic Science Regulator and is admissible as evidence in court.

Trials in South Yorkshire have already shown SmartTag to calm potentially violent incidents and stop them from escalating.

Detective superintendent, Lee Berry, said: “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 retail loss and security, added: “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 technology the root causes of crime in communities must also be addressed – that is why we are calling for government 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.”

In addition, Co-op will more than double the number of stores where colleagues wear body-worn cameras this year. Over 550 stores are expected to use the technology which can send real-time audio and visual footage to Mitie’s security operation centre at the push of a button.