UK | From Monday, the 26th of January, Tesco will be trialling a new crime reporting platform across 40 of its stores.
The 10-week trial will be conducted across Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, with the aim of reducing retail crime, protecting colleagues, and increasing collaboration with the police and the wider retail industry.
While even one incident is one too many, retail crime has continued to escalate sharply across the industry, with the latest BRC Crime Survey reporting that incidents of violence and abuse against retail workers now surpass 2,000 a day.
The Auror platform, which is already used by several retailers and UK police forces, will make it easier and quicker for colleagues to report security incidents. By bringing all the data and information into a single source, this simplifies the process for retailers and the police to build, manage, track, and resolve cases faster.
This trial will help us improve colleague safety and tackle abuse and violent behaviour by identifying repeat and dangerous offenders, and assisting police with their investigations.
“The investments we are making in improving safety across our store network will ensure that we not only lead the way in tackling the symptoms of retail crime, but drive collaboration right across the retail sector to deter would-be criminals,” said Rachel Bennett, Security Director at Tesco.
Bennett said that Auror’s software will give store teams a structured and consistent way to record crime after it occurs. This will help Tesco better connect the dots on prolific offenders across multiple locations, provide the information they need to make informed decisions to enhance colleague safety, and collaborate with the police.
By using Auror, Tesco has joined the world’s largest network of leading retailers - all helping to surface the scale and severity of retail crime.
During the trial, CCTV footage of serious incidents and theft will be reviewed by specifically trained colleagues at the Tesco Security Hub in Daventry. Where necessary, CCTV still images may be analysed retrospectively using non-live facial recognition, as part of an investigation.
Live CCTV images will not be reviewed as part of this trial, and Tesco colleagues and customers are not being scanned by live facial recognition.
Tesco has invested tens of millions of pounds over the last four years in a range of security measures, including investing at its highest ever rates in security officers and in practical measures such as body-worn cameras, protective screens, additional mobile security officer support, and door entry systems.
Auror is one of several global technology companies that Tesco, along with four other leading grocery companies, has invested in through the W23 Global venture fund. Launched in April 2024, the fund invests in tech-driven start-ups and scale-ups that improve customer experience, boost productivity, and address sustainability in the grocery sector.
Recently, Tesco became the first major UK retailer to roll out body-worn cameras to help its delivery drivers feel safer at work. Additionally, Tesco continues to advocate for the introduction of a standalone offence for assaulting retail workers and makes the case for Dotcom delivery drivers to be included in the scope of that offence.
