Shoppers are becoming increasingly accepting and more trustful of body-worn cameras (body-cams), as they increasingly recognise their role in keeping retail colleagues and customers safe in-store, the latest research by HALOS has found.

Original research of over 2,000 UK consumers by the body-cam company revealed that more than half (55%) of shoppers said wearable recording devices make them feel safer.

This highlights a marked perception shift in consumer wariness about the use of body-cams. A previous HALOS poll, released earlier in July, suggested consumers – particularly younger shoppers – were being unnerved by staff wearing the devices, causing one in three (29%) of 18–24-year olds to feel anxious.

“[Previously, the presence of a body-worn camera might have felt unusual or even confrontational,” said Matthew Dawes, Head of Enterprise Solutions at HALOS. “Today, they’re a quiet reassurance to both the wearer and the everyday person.”

Safety effectiveness helps drive trust in body-cam tech

It seems the growing trust – and acceptance – of body-cams among the UK public is being driven by their effectiveness in improving safety and reducing anti-social behaviour, against a backdrop of rising retail crime rates.

Instances of shoplifting increased by +20% for the year ending in March 2025, according to the latest ONS figures, with over half a million (530,643) retail theft offences reported in England and Wales, the highest level since current police records began in 2003.

“Retail theft costs retailers and their customers over £2.2bn a year and are a major trigger for violence and abuse against staff,” said Tom Ironside, Director of Business & Regulation at the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

Body-cams: Creating a safe space

Two-thirds (68%) of those shoppers polled by HALOS now recognise the role body-cams play in protecting store staff from abuse, with 60% believing the devices help deter antisocial behaviour in busy public settings, like supermarkets.

A further 68% say body-cams reduce theft and other criminal activity and 31% recognise their value in capturing evidence to bring perpetrators to justice.

Increasingly, shoppers value body-cams as “a sign that staff and consumers are protected and that there’s a line between order and chaos that doesn’t need to be loudly enforced,” Dawes added.

And, this will be thrown into even sharper focus as retailers face the prospect of rising retail crime rates as footfall builds towards Black Friday and Christmas peak trading.

“People expect safe, respectful environments as a standard, and the data shows they’re comfortable with technology playing a role in that. Cameras don’t have to be obvious to be effective. They just have to be there when it counts,” said Dawes.