03 September 2023 , 01:40
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All frontline workers at Tesco will be offered body cameras in a bid to crackdown on a "scourge" of violent attacks on workers in its stores.
The supermarket giant has revealed that more than 200 of the its employees are victims of serious physical assaults each month, and has announced a major £44million security upgrade across all of its shops. Tesco Chief Executive Ken Murphy is also calling for a law change to increase penalties for thugs who carry out attacks on people at work.
He described the current situation as "an insult to shoppers and retail workers". Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Tesco boss Mr Murphy said: :"We’re doing our bit at Tesco – investing £44 million over the last four years on security measures such as door access systems, protection screens and digital radios. We’ve also rolled out body-worn cameras for colleagues that need them in order to deter offenders.
Co-op has already rolled out body cameras for staff in some stores (Joseph Raynor/ Nottingham Post)"Money spent on making sure people are safe at work is always well spent, but it should not have to be like this. Crime is a scourge on society, and an insult to shoppers and retail workers. It is time we put an end to it."
Last month, Essex Police were forced to send out an urgent appeal after a member of staff at a Tesco branch in Chelmsford was threatened in broad daylight. The member of staff was uninjured in the incident and a man was arrested at the scene.
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Meanwhile, a gang of organised thieves were also busted using in-ear pieces to run a £70,000 shop-lifting ring across southern England. The thieves targeted Champagne during their crime campaign hitting stores in London, Essex, Kent and Norfolk over a nine-month period. Valeriu Cobzarencu, Andrei Stefan, Vincentiu Gheorghe, Ionut-Razvan Gheorghe and Alin Chica targeted the likes of Tesco, Morrisons, Asda and Sainsbury’s between November 21, 2021 and September 1, 2022.
Alcohol worth between £2,000 and £5,000 were stolen during each raid in towns such as Aylesford, Gravesend, Maidstone, Broadstairs and Dover, as well as Colchester, Essex and King’s Lynn, Norfolk. On February 5 last year, they stole nearly £6,000 worth of alcohol from Sainsbury’s in South Woodham Ferrers in Essex. Each of the men had distinct roles and worked together using earpieces and mobile phones to ensure vehicles were nearby to swiftly remove the stolen goods.