Reducing the Risk of Workplace Violence Against Public-Facing Employees Findings from a Mix-Methods Study of Body-Worn Cameras

This brief investigates the usefulness of Body-worn videos (BWVs) in non-policing environments. The first study of this kind, this research presents new datasets related to these devices, including:

 TOCS’ data on assaults and injuries

• Surveys of frontline members of staff

• A series of focus groups

• BWV activation metadata from BWV vendors

• Surveys with British Transport Police’s criminal justice unit.

The data sources for this project span thirteen train operating companies across the UK, varying levels of risk of workplace violence, as well as different types of Public-Facing professionals and different BWV devices. Using a mixed-methods approach, this volume ultimately provides insight into the effectiveness of these devices in preventing and controlling risks of violence in the workplace, and recommendations on how to use them. This book is ideal for professionals working in workplace violence reduction and scholars who study technological advents, violence prevention and jurists who are interested in decisions to prosecute offenders. 

Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2 Literature Review.- Chapter 3 Study 1 - Effect of BWVs on Assaults and Injuries.- Chapter 4: Study 2 - BWV Activation Trends.- Chapter 5: Study 3 - Perceptions of Frontline Staff Members (Survey).- Chapters 6: Study 4 - Focus group discussions.- Chapter 7: Study 5 – The Distal Effects of BWVs.- Chapter 8: Discussion and Policy Recommendations.- 

Barak Ariel is a professor of Experimental Criminology at Cambridge University, in the United Kingdom and a professor at the Institute of Criminology, Faculty of Law, Hebrew University, in Israel. He is a leading expert in the field of policing and crime reduction, with a focus on the use of technology and data-driven approaches to enhance policing effectiveness. He has been working on studying the impact of technology-based policing strategies, specifically on body worn videos.

Vincent Harinam is a researcher and law enforcement consultant with a specialization in data science. He is methodological generalist, leveraging a variety of statistical methods and programs to achieve solutions in the realms of law enforcement, security, and body worn cameras.

Somer Zeynel is a Business Change Manager, Body Worn Video Industry Adoption Project at Rail Delivery Group.

Jenna Brogden is a Project Manager for Work-Related Violence, Policing & Security Team at Rail Delivery Group.

Kim Webster is the Policing & Security Strategy Manager at Rail Delivery Group.