A TESCO branch in lawless London has been forced to introduce over-the-top security measures on booze to combat shoplifters.
One shopper in the supermarket in Perivale, West London witnessed the extreme countermeasures on Sunday.
Spirits in the shop are now kept in locked glass cabinets, with explicit permission required to open them – with the bottles themselves kept behind a further measure of security meshing and heavy-duty tags.
Video taken by the shopper shows shelves of bottles behind tall glass doors, completely sealed off.
Screens placed at various intervals on the doors read: “This cabinet is locked for security reasons. Please tap the arrow below for access.”
The person filming taps the screen and is forced to stand around waiting as it processes their request.
A red light flashes above, possibly capturing their face to judge whether they are old enough to buy alcohol.
Eventually, the door unlocks, and they are faced with everything completely encased in security wire and locked with chunky black tags that require a staff member to remove.
The video was shared to social media on Sunday with the caption: “A Tesco in Perivale, West London, is taking extra security measures to stop their alcohol being stolen.”
It has since received over 470 likes and more than 50 comments from Brits keen to share their divided opinions on the security measures.
One wrote: “Society only has itself to blame for this. Will become the norm as shoplifting continues to become widespread.
“[The] Fact my lad works at a charity shop that gets shoplifters frequently speaks volumes about the world right now.
A second said: “It may be a minor inconvenience but at least you won’t have t***s loading up and walking out with a bag full of stolen property.”
Another disagreed: “If they want it they will have it. Who is going to stop them?
“It will just take a little longer to smash up but they will have it.”
A fourth commented: “What is that costing?”
Another said: “I prefer the cabinets to the string vests, but looks like Tesco have gone the whole hog here.
“The vests just make them look less appealing to me. Might help my alcoholism.”
