Now Aldi staff are given body-worn cameras amid ‘uptick in shoplifting’: Budget retailer takes security measure following similar moves from Morrisons and Tesco
- German discounter says it has not been ‘immune’ to rise in shoplifting crimes
- READ MORE: The Co-op branch that’s been robbed 1,000 times already this year
Staff at supermarket chain Aldi are to be given body-worn cameras as the German discounter becomes the latest retailer to bring in more security measures amidst rising rates of shoplifting across the country.
UK boss Giles Hurley said that the company had not been ‘immune’ to reported rises in people stealing from shops – a rising pattern of behaviour seen nationwide, with some brazen thieves simply filling up carrier bags with items and leaving.
Security staff and shop assistants are being offered the devices – which record video and audio as a deterrent to would-be thieves – on a trial basis while Aldi bosses assess their effectiveness in reducing crime and threats to staff.
Aldi is the latest in a long line of major retailers to introduce body cameras – coming after Waitrose, the Co-op, Morrisons and Tesco, which has committed to giving the technology to every member of frontline staff.
Mr Hurley made the announcement as he unveiled the latest company’s results, which showed a 14 per cent rise in revenue to £15.5billion as shoppers opted for cheaper supermarkets amidst the cost of living crisis.
Aldi UK boss Giles Hurley said the discounter had not been ‘immune’ to a rise in shoplifting
The cameras will be offered to shop assistants and security staff on a trial basis (pictured: an Aldi supermarket worker)
Aldi reported a 14 per cent rise in revenue to £15.5billion as hard-up customers switched to discount supermarkets
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In remarks first reported by The Grocer, the Aldi CEO said: ‘There’s an uptick [in shoplifting] across the industry and we’re not immune to that.
‘With body cams, we currently have a trial which is underway in part of our business, exploring what benefits we can derive from that for our colleagues.
‘We have an absolutely fantastic team here at Aldi and we are very clear that they should expect a safe and secure working environment and it is therefore a priority for us.’
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said this summer that shoplifting had risen 27 per cent across ten of the largest cities in the UK, with some cities up as much as 68 per cent.
It estimates that shops lost £953m to customer theft last year – the greatest loss on record in recent years.
And official statistics published by the Office for National Statistics show that shoplifting rose 24 per cent between March 2022 and March 2023.
Heartless thieves are even targeting charity shops – with 80 per cent of non-profits reporting a rise in thefts of donated goods.
Shops are having to take desperate measures to deter thieves – from installing facial recognition cameras to locking up baby formula.
Body cameras have become the go-to for several retailers. The Co-op has given them to staff since 2020, along with headsets that allow shop staff to speak to each other remotely.
Morrisons announced earlier this month that it was trialling giving the cameras to staff at 25 stores – with security guards already equipped with the devices. But Asda has said it will not give cameras to staff amid privacy concerns.
Some shops have also started imposing receipt checks at self-service checkouts, to ensure shoppers are paying what they should be for goods.
Amid the cost of living crisis, shoppers are opting for cheap supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl on a greater basis than ever, according to data from market analysts Kantar.
Its data showed that Aldi’s share of the UK’s supermarket customers rose above 10 per cent for the first time earlier this year – bigger than Morrisons, Lidl, Waitrose and Iceland.
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Hartlepool, County Durham, is among the nation’s worst-hit towns for shoplifting, according to official statistics
The Co-op has been giving staff body cameras since 2020 as it contends with rising shoplifting rates
READ MORE: Britain’s ‘soft justice’: Shoplifters, drug users and even sex offenders given a ‘slap on the wrist’ for nearly a MILLION crimes – how many out-of-court deals does YOUR police force hand out?
Sex offenders, shoplifters and drug users were among almost a million crooks given community resolutions for a shocking array of crimes, MailOnline can reveal
Only Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco have greater shares of the market than the German firm, known for its eclectic range of Specialbuys.
Aldi boss Mr Hurley said Brits’ shopping habits had been ‘transformed’ by rising food prices, adding: ‘Britain is shopping very differently to how it did 18 months ago – fewer trips, more own label products, and switching supermarkets in search of better value.’
The news came after a MailOnline investigation revealed Britain’s shoplifting hotspots – with Cleveland, Nottinghamshire and Humberside police forces dealing with more offences per head than any other force in England and Wales.
In Hartlepool, County Durham – which falls under Cleveland Police’s protection – shop owners have shared their exasperation at dealing with ‘shameless’ adults and even children who run into stores to steal in broad daylight.
Vape shop worker Tom Ward, 24, told MailOnline: ‘We get shoplifters too. They come in in threes. One will talk to you and pretend they are interested in buying something. While you are distracted the others will steal.
‘You also get kids coming in. This is a vape shop and they are underage so you have to ask them to leave. In retaliation they will then try and steal stuff.’
He added: ‘People here have given up on the police. They are having to sort out problems themselves.
‘It’s only at the point where someone gets their head kicked in that the police get involved.’
Chief Inspector Pete Littlewood, Cleveland Police’s lead on retail crime, said the rise in shoplifting in the northern region was reflected ‘across the country and most likely a reflection of the impact of national social and economic changes.’
Recent MailOnline investigations have also revealed a rise in the use of ‘soft justice’ community resolutions across the country, with a 40 per cent rise in their use in the last six years.
Shoplifting accounted for 14 per cent of community resolutions in the last eight years – over 60,000 cases in all – which could have seen thieves made to apologise to shopkeepers or hand back stolen goods, without being given a criminal record.
The BRC’s assistant business and regulation chief Graham Wynn said the organisation does not oppose community resolutions, but added: ‘We believe that it is important that prolific or violent offenders are dealt with through the courts.
‘We do need a greater prioritisation of retail crime and retail violence by the police forces.’
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