Tesco launches security hub to fight retail crime
Tesco has launched a new high-tech security hub to fight retail crime.
Tesco has launched a new high-tech security hub as part of a multi-million pound investment to fight retail crime and keep its workers safe.
The security team, based in a centre in Daventry, Northamptonshire, will hunt criminals targeting the retailer’s stores following rising fears over shoplifting and violence against staff, The Grocer reported.
It comes alongside other measures Tesco has introduced to protect staff, including installing protective screens and giving workers bodyworn cameras.
Tesco said the centre would examine thousands of hours of CCTV footage by a team of experts that operate 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.
It explained the hub, which puts security operators in charge of monitoring specific groups of shops around the UK, was sharing its intelligence and working with police throughout the country.
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Posting on LinkedIn, Tesco UK security operations centre lead Emma Sparrock said: “This is a huge step forward, and we’re feeling motivated and ready for the new challenges ahead.
“Our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our colleagues and customers has never been stronger.”
She added: “This move is a symbol of our team’s growth, and we’re ready to face what lies ahead with a renewed sense of purpose and determination.”
In July, Tesco was among several supermarkets to welcome the government’s commitment to tackling retail crime, as it was announced that attacking or abusing a shopworker would be made a standalone offence during the King’s Speech.
Chief executive Ken Murphy said: “Retail colleagues are the backbone of the everyday economy and they deserve to feel safe at work.
“It is right that the government, police and business come together to collectively send the strongest signal that these crimes will not be tolerated.”
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