Co-op supermarkets are securing sausages, priced under 4 GBP, in plastic security boxes. These boxes are labeled to warn potential thieves that the item is equipped with a GPS tracking device.

This method has been widely adopted to deter the theft of high-value and easily resalable items, such as expensive meat, spirits, and mobile phones.

Co-op's British sirloin steaks, costing 7 GBP, and Angus beef roasting joints, priced at 20,90 GBP, are also secured in GPS-enabled boxes at a store in central London.

Similarly, Tesco stores some meat products, including salmon, in security boxes.

The GPS tags attached to product packaging track the item's location, helping to pinpoint the whereabouts of thieves if the product is stolen. These tags can only be removed after a purchase has been completed.

A GPS device is attached to the packaging of a 2,6 GBP sausage pack in a Co-op supermarket to prevent theft. *Telegraph*

The Co-op group reported that this initiative has contributed to a 21% reduction in overall retail crime.

Other unique tactics employed to prevent large-scale theft include using dummy or empty shopping bags and deploying undercover security personnel.

Shoplifting incidents surged following a 2014 law that stipulated theft of goods valued under 200 GBP would not result in imprisonment. In 2025, the UK recorded 530,643 shoplifting incidents, averaging one incident every minute.

However, a report from the British Retail Consortium indicated that 5,5 million in-store thefts were detected last year, equivalent to 10 incidents every minute.

Consequently, the authorities removed the "200 GBP no jail" threshold.

Hai Thu (According to *Telegraph*)