A number of staff in a Tesco store in Cork city are wearing bodycams in a bid to deter abuse and shoplifting.
The shop on Paul Street in the city centre is one of Cork's most profitable supermarkets taking in an average of €500,000 weekly.
However, CorkBeo reports that around €10,000 worth of stock is stolen from the Tesco store every week.
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All Tesco stores are covered by CCTV, but it's thought the body cameras act as a visual reminder to customers that they're being recorded.
The bodycams have a button on them to start recording during an interaction if the worker feels they need to.
They were first used by security staff but have since also been made optional for other workers in the store.
The bodycams were introduced in a year that has seen a sharp rise in shoplifting in Cork.
On Monday Garda Chief Superintendent Tom Myres told a joint policing meeting that shop thefts shot up 78% in the first few months of the year and that alcohol was a "key feature".
He said gardai are targeting "prolific offenders" adding that the current figures are "very high up".
He said: "Some of these thefts from shops are low value, it might be €10 or €20, but that's not the point. It's a crime and that's it.
"And we know that there's a legitimate party at the end of it, whether that's Brown Thomas or a small SME (small and mid-size enterprise) it doesn't matter. It is something that we're looking very close at with a view to addressing even more so going forward."
This week an RTE Prime Time report will be dedicated to a "wave of harassment, vile abuse, and shoplifting in Irish shops and supermarkets.
Tuesday night's programme will be focusing on shopworkers across the country, with one owner of a Spar in Limerick saying "petty crime" is costing him between €70,000 and €80,000 per year.
He told them: “We've noticed since Covid a very small element of society has gotten far more aggressive, and it is difficult to deal with.”
“Routinely, they'll say, ‘I will wait for you outside’, ‘We'll get you when you go home’, ‘I will kill you… I'll burn you out’.”
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