Overview
The retail sector faces ever-evolving security challenges, with over 400 security incidents occurring daily in shops across the UK, according to the British Retail Consortium. In response, Tesco has launched a comprehensive Guarding Transformation programme, implementing new procedures, investing in officer training, and deploying cutting-edge technology to enhance safety.
The Challenge
With over 2,800 stores, Tesco needed a robust communication solution, with nationwide coverage, to ensure seamless coordination between security officers and mobile security teams during incidents. The goal was to enhance real-time communication and improve response times to security threats.
The Solution
Tesco partnered with DTS Solutions to trial the Entel DN495 radios. After an extensive eighteen month trial involving 800 radios, Tesco committed to a full-scale implementation, ordering over 3,000 DN495 radios for nationwide deployment. This decision was driven by the need for a reliable and feature-rich communication system that could adapt to Tesco’s complex operational requirements.
Key Benefits
- Enhancing Communication: The DN495 radios enable security officers and colleagues in Tesco stores to communicate instantaneously with mobile security officers, allowing staff to inform nearby stores of abusive customers, shoplifters, and share local intelligence. This improved communication has led to a reduction in incident response times.
- Comprehensive Coverage: Tesco UK is divided into multiple regions, so the radios need to communicate within their own region, with the mobile security teams, control rooms and also the stores’ national network. This set up is supported by Entel’s control room dispatchers, which provide multi-channel monitoring, emergency call monitoring, mapping for user location, and geofencing. The nationwide coverage provided by the DN495 radios has eliminated communication dead zones, ensuring seamless connectivity across all of Tesco’s locations.
- Emergency Response: The DN495 provides store security guards with the means to alert mobile security teams and the control rooms to any emergency that may arise, secure in the knowledge there will be a high-speed response resulting in rapid assistance. This direct line of communication has significantly enhanced the safety of both staff and customers.
Advanced Features
- Supports emergency button, lone worker, man down, full-duplex emergency call monitoring and GPS location. These features provide added layers of safety for Tesco’s security personnel, particularly those working alone or in high-risk situations.
- With practically unlimited range, channels, and simultaneous calls, this DN495-based system meets Tesco’s current needs, while its built-in scalability ensures it can grow with Tesco’s fast-evolving and significant security requirements.
- Its unique 4 UK network, multi-profile cellular connectivity, ensures unparalleled network redundancy and coverage with no single point of failure. This market-leading technology greatly minimises the risk of downtime, rivals the resilience of traditional radio systems and ensures consistent communication, even during cellular network outages.
Daniel Frith, Sales Director at DTS Solutions, said, “DTS has been proud to support Tesco and their Guarding Service Providers such as Carlisle Support Services with this innovative solution, which is undoubtedly one of the largest PoC radio roll-outs in the world.”
Conclusion
Tesco’s investment in the Entel DN495 radios, facilitated by DTS Solutions, has significantly enhanced their security operations. This successful deployment, right across the UK, demonstrates the effectiveness of the DN495 radios in meeting the complex security needs of a major retail chain. By prioritising employee safety, investing in advanced technology and partnering with experienced providers, Tesco has set a new standard for retail security.
