TESCO TO INSTALL SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS ON STAFF UNIFORMS

According to Retail Gazette, the number of incidents of physical assaults on sales clerks at British grocery chain Tesco has risen by a third since 2022. According to the company’s CEO Ken Murphy, the company is considering options to place CCTV cameras directly on the uniforms of working staff, which would allow for faster and more accurate identification of the offender. Installing cameras on staff uniforms would reduce shoplifting in the long term, as well as save the lives and health of retail staff who discourage theft and stop offenders.

Murphy also called on the British government to increase penalties for thieves and hooligans. Although recent changes to British law have made assaulting a store employee an «aggravating factor» for sentencing, Murphy is trying to get «cruelty or violence against retail workers» made a crime.

He said businesses should be informed about how cases are progressing if someone is charged with a crime in a store, as this would help retailers «identify patterns and provide confidence that justice will be served.»

Murphy also called for better communication between police and businesses, as he believes gangs take advantage of the fact that little information is shared. Accelerated communication between law enforcement and retailers on the issue would reduce thefts and injuries amongst retail staff.

Retail Gazette reports that in 2023, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) reported that abuse of retail store staff has increased by almost 100% compared to pre-pandemic levels.