Shopping centre cleaners in Kent are being forced to wear stab vests as part of their everyday uniform following a surge in attacks on workers.
‘Front-of-house’ workers at County Square in Ashford have been handed the body armour after it was rolled out to security last year.
The move has been well received by shoppers – who also admitted it was a sign of the times – following reports of knife-wielding thugs in the area in recent years.
Security firms have also backed the move and say more and more staff will start wearing protective uniform, due to a recent unprecedented rise in assaults on retail workers.
In the last month, staff at Boots and Greggs have also been given body cameras and panic buttons, following a concerning rise in thefts and threats in stores up and down the country.
Front-of-house’ workers at County Square in Ashford have been handed the body armour after it was rolled out to security last year
The move has been well received by shoppers – who also admitted it was a sign of the times – following reports of knife-wielding thugs in the area in recent years
County Square said of the decision: ‘Both security and cleaning officers received their vests at the same time and started wearing them at the same time.
‘Some of our officers have been wearing the vests since last summer to trial them. As they were well received, we rolled them out to the entire front of house team as part of their PPE.
‘PPE of this nature is becoming standard issue in the shopping centre industry.’
Tracey Smith, who regularly visits Ashford from Essex with her husband Albert, said: ‘It doesn’t matter if it is Ashford or Chelmsford or anywhere, things are going to happen sadly.
‘I think we will start seeing people wear them in other places because, if nothing more, it could be a deterrent.
‘Whenever we come here, we have always felt safe. But they have got to protect staff. Hopefully they are never needed.’
Local resident Marion Trumper, from nearby Singleton, echoed the thoughts of Ms Smith.
The 68-year-old said: ‘With the way things are going these days, it is safer to wear them.
‘You do hear on Facebook of things happening here, kids hanging around.
‘It doesn’t make you want to come into town, but I’ve never seen anything like that and I come up here most days.’
Meanwhile, Derek Warner, of Sandyhurst Lane, said the vests may ‘just be part of life now’.
‘I think it’s good they are looking after staff,’ he said.
‘I don’t know how bad crime is here, but if one can take a precaution then it is good. I think it is just part of life now.’
Last year County Square began closing its doors earlier to protect staff after some were ‘physically assaulted’
Last year County Square began closing its doors earlier to protect staff after some were ‘physically assaulted’.
And in 2020, armed police were called to the centre following reports of a group of teengagers carrying knives. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
Oli Nonis, who runs various security services through his Canterbury-based firm Akon Security, says there has been an unprecedented rise in assaults on retail workers over recent years.
As a result, he believes more and more staff will start wearing protective uniform.
‘Nationally, there has been a massive increase in assaults on retail workers, which is totally unacceptable,’ he said.
‘There needs to be more attention on the subject to bring better intervention from authorities. I think we will start to see more of this.’
One issue some employers may face however is the hefty price tag that accompanies the body armour.
According to Mr Nonis, a British standard-approved vest could cost anywhere between £300 and £600.
He added: ‘There are lots of different types of vests, but for one that you can trust, the costs are high. But you can’t put a price on staff safety.’
Former Ashford town centre manager Rob Woods has also praised the move, saying: ‘While it is disappointing that we have to go to these lengths, I applaud County Square for doing this to protect their staff.’
He added that he thinks the problem exists across the country – not just in Ashford.
‘You always think the grass is greener elsewhere, but it rarely is. I don’t think Ashford is worse than anywhere else,’ he said.
Yesterday, Rishi Sunak promised to show shopworkers that ‘we’ve got their back’ as he announced assaulting shop staff will be made a separate criminal offence.
Assaulting a shop worker is to be made a separate criminal offence after the Government U-turned in the face of a long-running campaign.
Ministers had previously ruled out legislating to create a new offence, saying in response to a parliamentary petition in October they did not think it was ‘required or will be most effective’.
But on Wednesday, Mr Sunak announced that his Government will be amending its Criminal Justice Bill to bring in the new offence, which will apply to England and Wales.
A spokesperson from County Square added: ‘We are a responsible employer and continue to observe and make changes to our daily operation to ensure our teams are safe and feel safe in their duties.’
have approached Kent Police for a comment.