Tesco, the UK's largest supermarket chain, is set to launch a significant new security initiative on Monday, deploying what it describes as 'police-style' facial recognition technology across 40 stores nationwide. This ten-week trial represents a major escalation in the retailer's efforts to combat rising retail crime and protect its workforce from violence and abuse.
How the Facial Recognition Trial Will Operate
The trial will utilise the Auror platform, a system already employed by several other retailers and UK police forces. Crucially, Tesco has confirmed that this will not involve live facial recognition scanning of customers or colleagues. Instead, specially trained staff at the Tesco Security Hub in Daventry will retrospectively analyse CCTV still images from serious incidents occurring in stores across Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire.
The primary objective is to identify repeat and dangerous offenders, thereby improving colleague safety and assisting police investigations. The Auror software is designed to streamline the reporting process for store teams, creating a structured, consistent method for recording criminal incidents and collating details into a single source. This aims to help both Tesco and law enforcement resolve cases more efficiently.
Driving Forces Behind the Crackdown
This high-tech crackdown follows alarming data from the latest British Retail Consortium (BRC) Crime Survey, which revealed that incidents of violence and abuse against retail workers now exceed 2,000 per day across the sector. Tesco, competing with rivals like Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Asda, Aldi, and Lidl, is positioning this trial as a critical step in addressing this epidemic.
Rachel Bennett, Security Director at Tesco, stated: "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."
Industry Context and Broader Security Investments
Mark Gleeson, VP UK and Europe at Auror, highlighted the scale of the retail crime problem, noting: "Across the UK, the top 10% of offenders are causing 70% of the crime, and one in every 10 retail crime events are violent or involve weapons." He explained that by adopting Auror, Tesco joins a global network of retailers working to surface the true severity of offending.
This trial is part of a much wider security investment by Tesco, which has poured tens of millions of pounds into protective measures over the past four years. These investments include funding for security officers, body-worn cameras, protective screens, additional mobile security support, and enhanced door entry systems.
The ten-week trial, therefore, represents a significant technological addition to a comprehensive, multi-faceted strategy aimed at making Tesco stores safer environments for both staff and customers. Its outcomes will be closely watched by the entire retail sector as it grapples with the escalating challenge of organised and violent retail crime.
