Store staff get body cameras to protect themselves
PRINT ALL READINGS (PDF)Supermarket Workers - Level 0
Supermarket staff in the UK have body cameras to protect themselves. Customers punch or pull knives on staff. Checkout workers are stressed, and worried about their safety. The number of attacks in one store has gone up by 30 per cent in a year. More than 200 of workers in that store are attacked each month.
There is a big rise in anti-social behaviour in Britain. A new survey shows that 72 per cent of voters think the UK is broken. A supermarket CEO wants new laws for people who attack staff. He said crime is bad for society. He said attacks on his staff were "unacceptable" and "heart-breaking".
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Supermarket Workers - Level 1
Supermarket staff in the UK are wearing body cameras to protect themselves. Customers are punching or pulling knives on staff. Sales assistants and checkout staff are afraid. They are stressed and worried about their safety. The UK's largest supermarket said the number of attacks on its workers has gone up by 30 per cent in a year. More than 200 of its workers are attacked each month. Thousands more are shouted at and verbally abused every day.
Newspapers say attacks on shop staff show that Britain is "broken". There is a big rise in anti-social behaviour in Britain. A newspaper survey shows that 72 per cent of voters think the UK is broken. There has also been a big increase in shoplifting. A supermarket CEO wants new laws for people who attack staff. He said crime is bad for society, and "an insult to shoppers". He said attacks on staff were "unacceptable" and "heart-breaking".
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Supermarket Workers - Level 2
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Supermarket staff in the UK will wear body cameras to protect themselves from attacks. More staff are being punched or threatened with knives by customers. Many sales assistants and checkout staff are afraid. They are stressed and worried about their safety. The UK's largest supermarket is offering its staff body cameras. It said the number of attacks on its workers has risen by a third in a year. More than 200 of its workers are victims of serious physical attacks each month. Thousands more are shouted at and verbally abused every day.
Newspapers say attacks on supermarket staff are a sign that Britain is "broken". There is a huge rise in anti-social behaviour in Britain. A survey published in a newspaper showed that 72 per cent of voters think the UK is broken. A supermarket CEO said his company has spent $55 million on keeping his staff safe. There has also been a big increase in shoplifting. These two problems mean higher prices. The CEO wants new laws for people who attack staff. He said crime is damaging society and, "is an insult to shoppers". He said attacks on staff were "unacceptable" and "heart-breaking".
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Supermarket Workers - Level 3
Workers in supermarkets in the U.K. can now wear body cameras to protect themselves from attacks by customers. More and more staff are being punched or threatened with knives by angry people. Many sales assistants and checkout staff are afraid to go to work. They are stressed, and they are worried about their safety. The UK's largest supermarket chain Tesco is offering its staff body cameras. A spokesperson said the number of physical assaults on its workers has risen by a third in a year. He added that 200 Tesco employees are victims of serious physical assaults each month. Thousands more are shouted at and verbally abused every day. He asked the UK government to "put an end to this".
Many people say attacks on supermarket staff are a sign that Britain is "broken". There has been a huge rise in anti-social behaviour on Britain's streets. A survey published in the Daily Mail newspaper showed that 72 per cent of voters think Britain is broken. Tesco's CEO Ken Murphy said his company has spent £44 million ($55 million) on trying to keep staff safe. Despite this, there has also been a big rise in shoplifting. These two problems have led to higher prices. Mr Murphy wants stricter laws for people who verbally or physically attack staff. He said: "Crime is a scourge on society, and an insult to shoppers and [shop] workers." He said attacks on staff were "unacceptable" and "heart-breaking".
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25 online activities | 27-page printable | 2-page mini-lesson