Tesco bosses bring in screens to protect staff from attacks by shoplifters

28 September 2023 , 18:36

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Tesco bosses are bringing in screens (Image: PA)

Tesco is introducing hundreds of protective screens in its smaller stores in a bid to protect staff from assaults by shoplifters.

Violence and abuse towards shop workers has doubled in the past four years, according to British Retail Consortium figures. The toughened glass screens, which fully enclose the staff side of the till and stand above head-height, have already been installed at more than 110 branches. They are designed to protect against physical assault and also liquids or other items thrown at workers.

The screens are now being rolled out to more than 250 Express stores and petrol station kiosks as part of a multi-million-pound investment. It follows several reports of retail employees being threatened with weapons including knives, hammers and firearms.

Tesco UK CEO Jason Tarry said: “The rise in retail crime has been widely talked about in recent weeks, but the most troubling aspect is the surge in assaults and abuse we have seen against our colleagues in stores. This is something impacting the whole retail industry, and something too many of my colleagues have had to endure first-hand, with incidents of violence against our colleagues up by a third year-on-year.

Stores are suffering a shoplifting epidemic (Getty Images)

“The safety of our colleagues is our number one priority. That is why we have rolled out a number of measures, including these screens, to help protect our colleagues from the small minority of people who would do them harm, and offer them additional peace of mind when they come into work each day.”

Shop prices 'are yet to peak and will remain high' as inflation hits new heights

Nisa Wickramasinghe, the manager of an Express store in Southwark, South London, said she was glad to see the new screens. She recalled a recent incident in which a would-be attacker leapt over her counter and behind the till, forcing her to jump over the counter herself to escape.

Nisa said: “Now we have the screen I feel a lot safer to come to work and so do my colleagues." The move follows bids by other retailers to tackle the problem of shoplifting and escalating violence. Some staff in badly affected Tesco stores have been given body cameras in a bid to deter thieves, something budget supermarket Aldi has also announced it is doing.

Meanwhile, Co-op has hired undercover security, many of whom are ex-Forces and former police, to patrol the worst-affected stores. While the cost of living crisis has been a factor in increased shoplifting – now believed to cost the UK retail sector £2billion once protection costs are factored in – retail union Usdaw say 63% of thefts are in fact by repeat and prolific offenders, with drug or alcohol addictions and local organised criminal gangs among the main drivers.

Three-quarters of shop workers had suffered abuse from customers last year with thefts being the trigger for a third of these. Tesco's group CEO Ken Murphy has asked the Government to make violence against retail staff an offence in its own right, similar to in Scotland.

Mirror campaign

Usdaw’s National Officer Daniel Adams backed the latest move by Tesco and the calls to create a specific offence of violence against shop workers. Mr Adams said: “Usdaw has been working closely with Tesco on measures to improve safety and welcomes the introduction of these additional security measures.

“However, this is not something that can be solved by employers and unions alone. With such appallingly high levels of violence and abuse much more needs to be done to protect shop workers and give them the respect they deserve. Part of this has to be the introduction of a specific offence for acts of violence against shop workers.”

The Mirror recently launched our Clamp Down on Shoplifting campaign, which calls for tougher action, including for the police to investigate all reports. The British Retail Consortium said there were around eight million incidents in the 12 months to March. Police recorded 339,206 cases, with just 48,218 of these resulting in charges. Our campaign is supported by major firms including John Lewis and Co-op, as well as Usdaw.

Natasha Wynarczyk