Tesco makes major security change to home delivery service | UK | News
Tesco is introducing body-worn cameras for delivery drivers to provide a safer service. The retailer will provide cameras to more than 5,000 delivery drivers in 100 stores by the end of this year. The cameras will only be turned on if drivers feel unsafe. The move comes in response to increasing levels of threats and violence against retail delivery drivers in recent years.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We want all our colleagues to feel safe wherever they work. That’s why we’re introducing body-worn cameras as an extra safety measure for all our delivery drivers. We want to protect our drivers, but your privacy is important to us, so we want to reassure you that these cameras are not recording all the time. They will only start recording if the driver feels unsafe.”
“Should the driver feel the need to start recording, they will do their best to notify those around them that they have turned their cameras on. All footage captured will be stored securely and will only be used if the incident requires investigation.”
The cameras, which are currently available to Tesco store staff, act as a deterrent and have been shown to reduce serious incidents against drivers by 50% in the retailer’s trials.
Following a successful trial in Hull, which was claimed to “significantly reduce serious incidents”, the retailer has decided to move forward with wider distribution.
Tesco also welcomed the government’s Crime and Policing Bill, and specifically the introduction of a new standalone offense of assaulting a retail worker.
Tesco said it would continue to advocate for the criminalization of online delivery drivers, “especially as they work alone and do not have the protection that comes with being in store”.
The change would bring the law in England and Wales into line with the law in Scotland, where delivery drivers are already criminalised. Cases reported here have fallen compared to the rest of the UK; Serious incidents were reduced by 60 percent and verbal abuse was also reduced by 37 percent.
The company worked closely with its delivery driver colleagues and responded to their requests for additional technology to help them feel safer while delivering. Plans are already in place for wider distribution to more delivery points in 2026.
