Tesco 'install new anti-shoplifting devices' on shelves- but customers confused how they work
The clear plastic covers can be seen positioned in front of a shelf of chocolate products.. In the video, customers are able to freely slide them left and right to uncover the products underneath.
The covers make a loud screeching noise when moved. It would seem that they would make it harder to access the items quickly, although Tesco has not yet confirmed how the new covers are meant to work. It is also not yet clear if the new contraptions have been rolled out in all stories or just a certain selection of them.
READ MORE: 'I went to London's 'model village' where there aren't any shops and every house has a garden'
READ MORE: New pub rule from April 1 will be 'incredibly disappointing' for punters
Tescos New Security Devices, what do you think? ( kirkpap1 ) pic.twitter.com/TiYIwSghvp
— London & UK Street News (@CrimeLdn) March 14, 2025
The video posted to X has been causing quite a commotion - amassing 1.3k comments and 6.3k likes in about a day-and-a-half. One commenter posted: "So how can you actually get the item? They do not have enough staff to be getting these items for people." Another pointed out: "What's stopping someone from simply prying the damn things open and taking what they want?"
However, another user had one potential theory behind the new plastic covers. They posted: "They take your fingerprints if you steal and build a case to which they don't have to chase you across the parking lot thus avoiding public videos and backlash on the shopping establishment"
Another theory suggested that the loud noise the covers make when slid was meant to attract staff members. Perhaps the most likely theory posted was that they had been installed to slow thieves down and deter "flash mob robberies."
Shoplifting offences in London have soared by 50 per cent according to the latest figures. The Met Police documented 78,512 cases of shoplifting in the year leading up to September - a significant rise from 52,478 offences recorded the previous year.
Across England and Wales, police forces reported a total of 493,000 offences in this same period - a 23 per cent increase from the 402,000 incidents in the prior 12 months. Trade Association British Retail Consortium has described the situation as shoplifting "spiralling out of control", citing their survey that indicates over 2,000 incidents occurring daily, including assaults on staff, threats with weapons, and racial and sexual abuse.
Tesco Stores has not yet commented on the new anti-shoplifting measures.
Got a story? Please get in touch at katherine.gray@reachplc.com
Get the top stories from across London directly to your inbox. Sign up for MyLondon's The 12 HERE to get the biggest stories every day.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Miami Herald
Person plunges from high-rise onto awning below, California firefighters say
Someone plunged from a high-rise building in San Francisco onto a sidewalk awning below, suffering critical injuries, California firefighters reported. Firefighters reported a rescue underway in the 1000 block of Green Street near Russian Hill at 5:13 p.m. Saturday, June 28, on X, formerly known as Twitter. A young man had reportedly fallen from a 13-story building onto an awning, KTVU said. It was not clear how far he fell or why. A video and photos with the X post showed firefighters working to remove the man from the awning over a doorway into the building. The victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition, firefighters said in a later post. Firefighters had to cut away part of the awning to free the man, KTVU reported.
USA Today
3 days ago
- USA Today
Idaho firefighters ambushed by gunman, governor says
Idaho Governor Brad Little announced the attack in a statement on X Sunday afternoon. Multiple firefighters attacked in northern part of the state. Multiple firefighters responding to a fire in northern Idaho were attacked, Governor Brad Little announced in a statement Sunday afternoon on X. 'This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters. I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more,' Little said on the platform formerly known as Twitter. "Multiple heroic firefighters were attacked today while responding to a fire in North Idaho," Little said. "This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters. I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more. Teresa and I are heartbroken. Little's statement comes after news reports that firefighters responding to a brush fire in Coeur d'Alene were ambushed by a gunman. Kootenai County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Howard confirmed the attack, according to ABC News. Someone in the woods began shooting the firefighters attacking the blaze, Howard told ABC. The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Officials are asking civilians to steer clear of the area as law enforcement and firefighters do their jobs.
USA Today
4 days ago
- USA Today
'Let Bibi go': Trump says US is 'not going to stand' for Netanyahu's prosecution
In a social media post, Trump said corruption charges against Israel's Netanyahu should be dropped President Donald Trump lashed out at Israeli prosecutors over the corruption trial facing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that the United States having given billions in aid to Israel is "not going to stand for this." Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in Israel on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust – all of which he denies. The trial, which began in 2020, involves three criminal cases. He is scheduled to return for cross examination Monday after several delays over the COVID-19 pandemic, Israel's war with Hamas and other conflicts in the region. "How is it possible that the Prime Minister of Israel can be forced to sit in a Courtroom all day long, over NOTHING (Cigars, Bugs Bunny Doll, etc.). It is a POLITICAL WITCH HUNT, very similar to the Witch Hunt that I was forced to endure," Trump said on June 28 in the post on Truth Social. Netanyahu thanked Trump in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Together, we will make the Middle East Great Again!" he said. Israel's main opposition leader Yair Lapid criticised Trump's statement, saying he should not "intervene in a legal process of an independent state," the BBC reported. Trump said the trial complicates negotiations with both Iran and Hamas. The United States targeted several nuclear sites in Iran after Israel launched an air war on June 13 and tensions erupted between the Middle Eastern nations. Hamas attacked Israel out of Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023 and is still holding hostages, while Israel has unleashed strikes on the strip for nearly two years. Trump also said the ongoing trial "tarnishes" the "victory" from bombing Iran, which agreed to a ceasefire after the US bombed several nuclear enrichment facilities. "It was the United States of America that saved Israel, and now it is going to be the United States of America that saves Bibi Netanyahu,' Trump said in a separate post earlier in the week. "THIS TRAVESTY OF 'JUSTICE' CAN NOT BE ALLOWED!"
