1 week ago
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A Tesco branch has started checking people on CCTV before allowing them to enter in a bid to tackle the shoplifting epidemic.
The store in Southville, Bristol, leaves the automatic doors shut until customers are viewed on camera to see if they are suspected or well-known thieves.
It has also apparently removed baskets from the entrance to stop shoplifters filling them up and then running off.
Staff say the 'nightclub-style door policy' is in operation between 6am and 9am and in the late evenings when no security guards are on duty.
It comes after it was reported earlier in the month that convenience store thefts have soared to 5.6million from 1.1million in just one year.
A Bristol Tesco branch, pictured, has started checking people on CCTV before allowing them to enter
The 'nightclub-style door policy' is in operation between 6am and 9am and in the late evenings (stock image)
Figures from the Association of Convenience Stores also revealed that there were 76,000 acts of violence in small shops last year, up from 41,000.
Figures from the Association of Convenience Stores also revealed that there were 76,000 acts of violence in small shops last year, up from 41,000.
A spokesperson for Tesco said all Tesco Express stores have a remote-control door access system available to staff which can be used at times when assaults or thefts are likely to occur.
A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said: 'We take thefts from shops seriously and encourage store workers to report incidents, especially when threats or violence is used.
'There has been a nationwide increase in reported shoplifting offences and that is reflected across Avon and Somerset.
'Where repeat and prolific offenders have been identified, officers encourage shops to issue civil banning letters, which, if ignored, can provide evidence to enable action to be taken under Anti-Social Behaviour legislation.'
In February, the shocking moment when a pair of masked shoplifters ran into a London Tesco and brazenly helped themselves to bottles of booze before running out was revealed.
The incident took place on New England's Lane in Belsize Park, an expensive area of north west London, as the UK's shoplifting epidemic shows no sign of stopping.
Rishi Sunak has promised to 'stop shoplifters in their tracks' with a tough package of measures
Assaulting a shop worker will be made a specific offence for the first time (stock image)
The shocking moment is caught on film by a bystander at the shop and shows the two thieves at the fridge section of the store piling bottles of alcohol into a large bag.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently vowed to 'stop shoplifters in their tracks' with a tough package of measures.
In response to an epidemic of violent thefts, assaulting a shop worker will be made a specific offence for the first time, the Prime Minister says.
Prolific shoplifters will also be fitted with GPS satellite electronic tags so their movements can be tracked.
