Supermarket chain Albert Heijn is to equip security guards in Amsterdam and Rotterdam with body cameras to see if it improves safety.
The trial scheme will run in four city centre branches and could be extended to other locations if it proves successful.
The cameras will not be switched on permanently, but security staff can activate them if they have to deal with a disturbance or aggressive behaviour from customers. A screen on the camera shows what is being recorded in real time.
The company said its staff had to deal with thousands of incidents of violence and aggression every year, but the situation was not getting worse. The cameras are intended to de-esclate situations by letting people see they are being filmed.
“The vast majority of our millions of dealings with customers pass without problems, but there are still too many incidents,” Sonja Boelhouwer, director of retail and logistics at Albert Heijn told Het Parool.
Other major companies have also adopted bodycams in recent months, including Dirk, another supermarket chain, and train operator NS.
The new coalition government has allocated €12 million to the infrastructure ministry to spend on body cams for all 3,500 train conductors, after a pilot scheme showed they helped de-escalate confrontations and made staff feel safer on board.
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