Tesco is introducing body-worn cameras for delivery drivers in an efort to ensure a safer service. The retailer will provide cameras for over 5,000 delivery drivers in 100 stores by the end of this year. The camers will only be turned on if the drivers feel unsafe. The move comes in response to the escalating levels of threats and violence towards retail delivery drivers in recent years.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We want all our colleagues to feel safe, wherever they’re working. 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 also matters to us, so we want to reassure you that these cameras are not recording all the time. They’ll only start to record if the driver feels unsafe.
“In the unlikely event that a driver feels the need to start recording, they’ll do their best to let those around them know that they’re turning their camera on. Any footage that is taken will be stored securely and will only be used if an incident requires investigation.”
The cameras, which have already been rolled out to Tesco store staff, act as a deterrent and have been shown in the retailer’s trials to reduce serious incidents against drivers by 50%.
Following a successful trial in Hull, which allegedly “reduced serious incidents significantly”, the retailer has decided to proceed with a wider distribution.
Tesco has also welcomed the government’s Crime and Policing Bill, and particularly the introduction of a new standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker.
Tesco stated that it will continue to advocate for online delivery drivers to be included within the scope of the offence, “particularly as they work alone and do not have the protection that comes with being in a store.”
This change would bring the law in England and Wales into alignment with that in Scotland, where delivery drivers are already covered by the offence. Reported cases there have fallen compared with the rest of the UK, with serious incidents down by 60 per cent and verbal abuse reduced by 37 per cent.
The company has worked closely with its delivery driver colleagues and acted on their request for additional technology to help them feel safer while out on deliveries. Plans are already under way for a wider roll out to more delivery sites in 2026.
