ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Stab-proof vests have been issued to cleaners working at a UK shopping centre as part of their everyday uniform.

Bosses at County Square in Ashford have equipped the entire front-of-house team with stab vests to help keep them safe.

A spokesperson for the precinct said: "PPE of this nature is becoming standard issue in the shopping centre industry.

"We are a responsible employer and continue to observe and make changes to our daily operations to ensure our teams feel safe in their duties."

Reports of antisocial behaviour and even physical assaults on staff first emerged at the shopping centre last year, prompting managers to decide to close their doors early. In March 2023 the facility announced that its new closing time would be 6pm instead of the previous 7pm.

A local security guard claims that staff wearing stab vests could become a more common sight after an unprecedented rise in assaults generally over recent years.

"Nationally there has been a massive increase in assaults on retail workers and hospital staff, and it is totally unacceptable," said Oli Nonis from Akon Security in Kent. "Everyone should feel safe at work - and if they feel there is a need for them, that's great."

Stabbings involving cleaners are uncommon, but not unprecedented. In 2023 a Brisbane cleaner was stabbed multiple times in the stomach by teenagers attempting to steal his wallet and car. And in 2012, a street cleaner was stabbed to death in West London after attempting to stop a suspected burglar from fleeing the scene.