Retail crime is at unacceptable levels, and the impact on people working in shops has become a national emergency. At Sainsbury’s, keeping colleagues and customers safe is a priority and one we continue to act on.
Across the retail sector, abuse, threats and violence are now all too common. USDAW’s Freedom From Fear survey[1] shows that nearly four in five retail workers have experienced abuse, threats or assault at work. Industry data also points to the scale of the problem, with statistics from the British Retail Consortium[2] showing that over the last year there were 1600 such incidents every day across the UK. No one should have to face that for simply doing their job.
Preventing harm in our stores
At Sainsbury’s, we’re committed to doing everything in our power to maintain the safety of our colleagues and customers. We’ve significantly invested in measures to reduce risk and prevent incidents from escalating. We were the first UK retailer to roll out colleague worn cameras in 2018 and have since strengthened safety in our stores with kiosk screens, remote CCTV, store detectives and enhanced product security.
These measures are designed to deter offending, protect colleagues during challenging situations and create safer, calmer shopping environments. But the scale and severity of retail crime today mean that no single retailer can tackle this issue alone.
Using facial recognition technology responsibly
Alongside physical safety measures, we’ve also been exploring how technology can help prevent repeat offending and reduce harm. Following a successful trial which you can read more about here, facial recognition technology is now in use in 40 Sainsbury’s stores, with plans to roll it out to up to 200 stores by the end of the year.
The Facewatch technology is used to help trained colleagues identify known offenders involved in violence, aggression or theft, enabling early intervention before situations escalate. Results from our early rollout have been clear with more than 90% of banned offenders not returning to our stores.
The system is not used to monitor everyday shoppers or colleagues. Where someone is not recognised, any image captured is deleted immediately. Privacy, transparency and trust are central to how the technology is used, with clear signage in place in all stores where it operates.
Creating safer places to work and shop
No one should feel unsafe going to work or popping out to the shops. Creating safer days at work for colleagues and safer shopping environments for customers requires sustained effort from retailers, government and policing working together.
At Sainsbury’s, we will continue to listen to our colleagues, invest in proven safety measures and work with partners across the sector to put safety first in every store.
References
[1] USDAW Freedom From Fear survey: 78% of shop workers experienced verbal abuse; 54% were threatened; 11% were assaulted.
[2] British Retail Consortium Annual Crime Survey 2026
