Morrisons is taking an “integral” step in efforts to clamp down on repeat criminals and ensure the safety of its store staff amid record levels of crime and abuse, by rolling out new crime reporting software.
The supermarket aims to deploy the new system designed by retail intelligence company Auror in all 500 of its supermarkets by early 2026, The Grocer can reveal.
Auror – which is already used by the likes of Holland & Barrett, M&S, Home Bargains and Boots – works on the basis of collective intelligence. It digitises the way store staff record and report crimes, allowing them to enter information – such as CCTV stills, a record of the goods stolen and any threatening or violent behaviour – in a consistent format.
The platform then pools information from different stores and different regions into a single consistent source, enabling retailers easily identify trends in criminal activity, as well as giving them better evidence packs to report to police.
Morrisons began testing the system in 50 of its stores across the Midlands earlier this year. It found that 60% of repeat offenders regularly targeted more than one store, giving security teams live intelligence to better protect stores and deter criminals from entering.
The supermarket has not said how much crime fell by on average. However, store managers involved in the trial reported feeling “better informed and safer”. Morrisons was also able to “triple the value” of organised crime it evidence to the police across the Midlands, leading to 11 prosecutions for 35 crimes during the 12-week trial.
Previously, Morrisons store teams would individually record crime incidents. However, not only was this inconsistent, there was no way of collecting deeper insight and it was difficult to compare data across stores.
“This new partnership will give our stores the right technology to work together with the police to tackle in-store crime more effectively,” said Morrisons CEO Rami Baitiéh.
“Our top priority is the safety of our teams and joining Auror’s network of retailers and law enforcement agencies will create a safer environment for colleagues, customers and local communities,” he said.
“Repeat and violent offenders must understand that abuse towards our colleagues will not be tolerated. We applaud the efforts of the police and government to make high streets safer and we intend to be part of the solution,” Baitiéh added.
Retail crime continues at near record levels
Auror relies on the information entered by store teams, but does not collect sensitive information like race, sexual identity or political affiliation. Morrisons insisted that the Auror system did not use facial recognition.
The rollout comes as part of Morrisons’ three-year technology transformation strategy, part of Baitiéh’s turnaround plan.
Labour promised a renewed £7m “blitz” on retail abuse, shop theft and antisocial behaviour as part of its new-three year plan for tackling retail crime, unveiled in July.
However, incidences of retail theft remain at near record levels, growing 13% to 530,000 during the year ending June 2025, according to latest ONS statistics.
“Retailers are facing a growing challenge of crime and violence in their stores, and we’re proud to be part of the solution by helping them better manage the risk to their people and stores, and collaborate with police to deliver positive outcomes for the community,” said Mark Gleeson, Auror VP for UK and Europe.
“We know one in 10 retail crime events are violent or involve weapons, and repeat offenders are four times more likely to be violent. This behaviour hurts frontline workers and the communities they serve.
“We’re on a mission, alongside our partners, to reduce violence retail crime by 50% over the next five years, and our partnership with Morrisons will be crucial to improving colleague safety and making their stores and communities safer across the UK,” Gleeson added.
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