Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts, Wickes chief David Wood, and Fortnum & Mason boss Tom Athron were among the executives to sign an open letter in August calling on the government to legislate to better protect service workers.
Headline signatory Jo Causon, CEO of the Institute of Customer Service (ICS), and her co-signatories from retail, hospitality and adjacent sectors, want the Crime and Policing Bill currently moving through Parliament to protect all public-facing workers. It includes specific legislation relating to assault of retail workers, but the ICS is calling for it to go further to deter crime in all service sectors.
Why the clamour now? ICS data from January shows 42% of customer service staff across every sector experienced abuse in the prior six months, up 19% compared to a similar study the institute published in March 2024.
Some 37% of workers surveyed said they had considered leaving their role due to hostility, and a quarter of them have taken sick leave as a result. It’s not just a problem with personal consequences, it’s a business continuity issue as well.
And the British Retail Consortium (BRC) reported in March nearly a quarter of UK consumers had witnessed shoplifting taking place in the previous 12 months, and 23% of customers had experienced physical or verbal abuse of staff, with some incidents involving weapons.
BRC’s annual crime survey, released in January, showed retail crime resulted in record losses of £2.2bn in 2024, with the 2,000-plus incidents of violence and abuse more than three times the level recorded in 2020.
Action – be it from central government, local authorities or the police – is required. In many circumstances, retailers themselves are taking matters into their own hands and deploying new technology in the name of protecting their workers and premises.
Body-worn tech
Staff at H&M, Tesco and EE are among the retailers offering their staff the opportunity to don cameras as they work as a deterrent for criminals. In July, H&M said it was using the technology. Computer Weekly contacted the retailer to check on the results to date, but it is still in pilot stage and there are no learnings to report yet.
A spokesperson for H&M says: “We’re testing body-worn cameras in a three-store pilot to assess what beneficial impact it may have, along with staff customer service training, on de-escalating and reducing incidents for the safety of both our colleagues and customers.”
In February, Motorola Solutions announced its VT100 body cameras had been distributed to employees across Poundland stores. It claimed Poundland had reported a decrease in incidents, including an 11% drop in violence against store employees and a marked reduction in shoplifting and theft since the tech was introduced.
The footage is used by Poundland’s security and loss prevention team in its investigations. The retailer uses Motorola’s digital evidence management tool to prepare, store and process video data, according to the manufacturer – and it can tag and match body camera videos with CCTV footage and other incident data.
We’re testing body-worn cameras in a three-store pilot to assess what beneficial impact it may have…on de-escalating and reducing incidents H&M spokesperson
In February, Tesco launched a 24-hour, 365-day-a-year manned security hub as a direct response to rising crime in the retail industry. The facility was unveiled at its newly refurbished security centre in Daventry, Northamptonshire, and it aims to track down criminals targeting its premises across the UK. Staff there analyse thousands of hours of CCTV footage and they share intelligence with the police.
A Tesco spokesperson tells Computer Weekly: “Our colleagues work hard to serve our customers every day, and every member of our team deserves to feel safe at work. We continue to invest in the latest technology, resources and training for our expert team in our Security Hub. This team is dedicated to joining up evidence and supporting the police to tackle crime, helping to keep our colleagues and customers safe.”
Tesco introduced body-worn cameras to store staff in 2023, and last year some delivery drivers were offered the chance to use them too. The UK’s largest retailer said the cameras are not recording all the time and will only start if the driver feels unsafe, calling it an “unlikely event” that a driver will feel the need to begin recording.
“Any footage that is taken will be stored securely and will only be used if an incident requires investigation,” the grocer says online, adding that the driver will inform people if they are to start recording.
Meanwhile, tech retailer Currys announced in May that it is working with VoCoVo to ramp up security in its stores. The manufacturer’s headsets are being introduced to Currys shops, with early feedback from staff suggesting they feel safer wearing them because they can communicate with colleagues when confronted with shoplifters as the equipment doubles up as a comms tool for general operations.
The retailer has also partnered with Auror to introduce crime reporting software into its stores. The aim of using this platform is to speed up and improve the accuracy of crime reporting, and the individual shops can share information on criminals and incidents which is then matched with data nationwide.
Mobile and broadband services retailer EE is embarking on a new store strategy in 2025, investing £3m between May 2025 and March 2026 in bricks and mortar, including opening what it terms as “experience stores” containing areas where visitors get “hands on with tech”. In August, it opened in Merry Hill near Birmingham – its third store of 2025 in the new format, following openings in Nottingham in May and Sheffield earlier in the month.
Asif Aziz, EE retail director, says security and tech to protect customers and employees is a key feature as the store estate is refreshed. “As part of our continued investment into our retail estate, we’re not only enhancing experiences for our customers, but also ensuring both they and our teams are safe,” he says.
“Our staff wear the latest body cameras, which instantly transmit footage to our monitoring teams and law enforcement. In our stores, we utilise smart tracking systems to track stolen goods and monitor them in real-time until they are recovered.
“We also employ time delay stock safes, as well as fogging and misting devices that, when triggered, instantly fill part of the store with disorienting fog and forensic marking solutions. All these security measures are helping to effectively deter and detect criminals.”
CCTV-plus
In June, frozen food retailer Iceland acknowledged it had started trialling use of facial-recognition technology in a small number of its stores, including in its The Food Warehouse shops.
“We will do anything and everything to help protect our staff and customers,” the retailer’s executive chairman Richard Walker said on LinkedIn, following a backlash which included privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch calling the move “chilling”.
“Organised and targeted retail crime is out of control. Every single week, I see the reports from our stores and read about our colleagues being abused, threatened and assaulted simply for doing their job,” Walker added.
Reflecting on the deployment of facial-recognition tech from Facewatch, he added: “I know some people will not like that – but I make zero apologies for it. If I must choose between upsetting a campaign group or protecting our colleagues from violence, I will pick our people every time.
“Let me be clear – this technology does not monitor innocent shoppers. It does not store your data. It helps trained store teams to calmly identify repeat offenders who are known to use violence or intimidation. That is it.”
Iceland estimates it could see a 30% reduction in violent incidents where the Facewatch technology is deployed. More Iceland stores will be fitted with the tech later in 2025, with retailers such as Home Bargains, Farmfoods, Sports Direct, B&M, Flannels, Spar and Morrisons Daily already using it in parts of their respective estates, according to Facewatch.
In June, Trigo Retail, the company known for its high-tech, computer vision stack which supports checkout-free stores for several retailers across Europe, announced it had started to play in the loss prevention space by offering an alternative to CCTV.
The company’s new artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled platform helps retailers to track shoppers as anonymised figures, identifies which items are picked up and then cross-references these goods against what is scanned at checkout. Instant alerts are made to store security in the event of potential theft – and, like Facewatch, Trigo says it never uses, collects or stores any biometric data.
Daniel Gabay, co-founder and CEO of Trigo Retail, says: “The most effective retail security technology today isn’t about adding more barriers or locks – it’s about making existing infrastructure smarter.
“Computer vision AI essentially gives cameras a ‘brain’ to interpret what they’re seeing in real-time, providing stores with unprecedented intelligence about when and how hidden theft is happening in the store. When implemented correctly in a non-biometric way that protects shopper privacy, this technology preserves what matters most: honest shoppers should feel welcomed and trusted by their store, never embarrassed or under suspicion.”
Loyalty and the law
Iceland also announced in August its customers who alert staff when they see shoplifters in store will be eligible for a top-up reward to spend via their Bonus Card loyalty scheme.
The company is looking at all angles to protect itself including this quasi-vigilantism. Iceland customers are strongly encouraged not to directly interact with any shoplifters, but to find the nearest member of staff and alert them instead with a detailed description – and when doing so, they will be topped up with a £1 reward that can be spent in the shop immediately.
Walker called shoplifting a “plague” spreading across big cities, market towns and villages. “To combat any activity in Iceland stores, we’re encouraging our loyal customers to help sound the alarm, and if they do help to catch a shoplifter, we’ll top up their Bonus Card to spend in store,” he says.
EE’s Aziz adds: “While advanced technology is a key part of our security strategy, we also put a lot of focus on our training. We invest thousands of hours in onboarding new team members and in regular training to ensure our employees know how to handle thefts safely, quickly and effectively. We are always looking for ways to improve our processes to protect everyone who walks through our doors every day.”
There’s only so far the individual measures retailers are adopting can protect their people and their profits. Further top-down deterrents are required from policymakers, while law keepers need to dedicate resources to public-facing industry. The BRC wants processes put in place to ensure police attend all incidents of crime in retail stores and follow up as necessary.
“The government must act now to enshrine vital protections for all our service workers; without action now to create a strong deterrent, this problem will continue to grow,” Causon writes in her open letter. “These professionals form the bedrock of our society and economy. They are essential to community building, social cohesion and economic growth – let’s seize this moment to protect all public-facing workers.”
President Donald Trump and top defense officials are reportedly weighing whether to send ground troops to Iran in order to retrieve the country’s highly enriched uranium. However, the administration has shared little information about which troops would be deployed, how they would retrieve the nuclear material, or where the material would go next.
“People are going to have to go and get it,” secretary of state Marco Rubio said at a congressional briefing earlier this month, referring to the possible operation.
There are some indications that an operation is close on the horizon. On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon has imminent plans to deploy 3,000 brigade combat troops to the Middle East. (At the time of writing, the order has not been made.) The troops would come from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, which specializes in “joint forcible entry operations.” On Wednesday, Iran’s government rejected Trump’s 15-point plan to end the war, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the president “is prepared to unleash hell” in Iran if a peace deal is not reached—a plan some lawmakers have reportedly expressed concern about.
Drawing from publicly available intelligence and their own experience, two experts outlined the likely contours of a ground operation targeting nuclear sites. They tell WIRED that any version of a ground operation would be incredibly complicated and pose a huge risk to the lives of American troops.
“I personally think a ground operation using special forces supported by a larger force is extremely, extremely risky and ultimately infeasible,” Spencer Faragasso, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Science and International Security, tells WIRED.
Nuclear Ambitions
Any version of the operation would likely take several weeks and involve simultaneous actions at multiple target locations that aren’t in close proximity to each other, the experts say. Jonathan Hackett, a former operations specialist for the Marines and the Defense Intelligence Agency, tells WIRED that as many as 10 locations could be targeted: the Isfahan, Arak, and Darkhovin research reactors; the Natanz, Fordow, and Parchin enrichment facilities; the Saghand, Chine, and Yazd mines; and the Bushehr power plant.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Isfahan likely has the majority of the country’s 60 percent highly enriched uranium, which may be able to support a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction, though weapon-grade material generally consists of 90 percent enriched uranium. Hackett says that the other two enrichment facilities may also have 60 percent highly enriched uranium, and that the power plant and all three research reactors may have 20 percent enriched uranium. Faragasso emphasizes that any such supplies deserve careful attention.
Hackett says that eight of the 10 sites—with the exception of Isfahan, which is likely intact underground, and “Pickaxe Mountain,” a relatively new enrichment facility near Natanz—were mostly or partially buried after last June’s air raids. Just before the war, Faragasso says, Iran backfilled the tunnel entrances to the Isfahan facility with dirt.
The riskiest version of a ground operation would involve American troops physically retrieving nuclear material. Hackett says that this material would be stored in the form of uranium hexafluoride gas inside “large cement vats.” Faragasso adds that it’s unclear how many of these vats may have been broken or damaged. At damaged sites, troops would have to bring excavators and heavy equipment capable of moving immense amounts of dirt to retrieve them
A comparatively less risky version of the operation would still necessitate ground troops, according to Hackett. However, it would primarily use air strikes to entomb nuclear material inside of their facilities. Ensuring that nuclear material is inaccessible in the short to medium term, Faragasso says, would entail destroying the entrances to underground facilities and ideally collapsing the facilities’ underground roofs.
Softening the Area
Hackett tells WIRED that based on his experience and all publicly available information, Trump’s negotiations with Iran are “probably a ruse” that buys time to move troops into place.
Hackett says that an operation would most likely begin with aerial bombardments in the areas surrounding the target sites. These bombers, he says, would likely be from the 82nd Airborne Division or the 11th or 31st Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU). The 11th MEU, a “rapid-response” force, and the 31st MEU, the only Marine unit continuously deployed abroad in strategic areas, have reportedly both been deployed to the Middle East.
The WIRED Reviews Team has been covering Amazon’s Big Spring Sale since it began at on Wednesday, and the overall deals have been … not great, honestly. So far, we’ve found decent markdowns on vacuums, smart bird feeders, and even an air fryer we love, but I just saw that Cadence Capsules, those colorful magnetic containers you may have seen on your social media pages, are 20 percent off. (For reference, the last time I saw them on sale, they were a measly 9 percent off.)
If you’re not familiar, they allow you to decant your full-sized personal care products you use at home—from shampoo and sunscreen to serums and pills—into a labeled, modular system of hexagonal containers that are leak-proof, dishwasher safe, and stick together magnetically in your bag or on a countertop. No more jumbled, travel-sized toiletries and leaky, mismatched bottles and tubes.
Cadence Capsules have garnered some grumbling online for being overly heavy or leaking, but I’ve been using them regularly for about a year—I discuss decanting your daily-use products in my guide to How to Pack Your Beauty Routine for Travel—and haven’t experienced any leaks. They do add weight if you’re trying to travel super-light, and because they’re magnetic, they will also stick to other metal items in your toiletry bag, like bobby pins or other hair accessories. This can be annoying, especially if you’re already feeling chaotic or in a hurry.
Otherwise, Capsules are modular, convenient, and make you feel supremely organized—magnetic, interchangeable inserts for the lids come with permanent labels like “shampoo,” “conditioner,” “cleanser,” and “moisturizer.” Maybe you love this; maybe you don’t. But at least if you buy on Amazon, you can choose which label genre you get (Haircare, Bodycare, Skincare, Daily Routine). If this just isn’t your jam, the Cadence website offers a set of seven that allows you to customize the color and lid label of each Capsule, but that set is not currently on sale.
This is the older Kindle Scribe, but the price and features are the best you’ll get, especially when it’s on sale like this. I still reach for this model even though I have the newer third generation, and keep in mind the second generation will also get some of the newer software and experiences over time. With the sale, it’s half the price of the newer model.
Amazon
Kindle Colorsoft and Colorsoft Signature Edition
If you’re already a Kindle reader and looking to upgrade, it’s likely because you want a new feature like a color screen. While the Kobo above is the better buy, if you want to stay in the Kindle ecosystem but add some color to your books, both the Colorsoft and Colorsoft Signature are on sale.
Amazon
Kindle (2024, 11th Gen)
If you’re looking to spend as little as possible, the basic Kindle (11th generation) is still a great e-reader and is currently under $100. It can do almost everything the other Kindles can (except the Scribe) on a snappy black-and-white screen. It doesn’t have a warm front light either, but it’s still a great purchase for the price.
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