Moordown store "hotspot for antisocial behaviour" and repeat shoplifting
A Bournemouth councillor claims a lack of security outside a Tesco run store is making shoppers feel unsafe
A Bournemouth councillor has accused Tesco of allowing one of its convenience stores to become a magnet for antisocial behaviour, shoplifting and intimidation, warning that residents are increasingly feeling unsafe in their own neighbourhood.
In an open letter to Tesco’s chief executive, Moordown councillor Joe Salmon said the One Stop branch on Ripon Road had become a “hotspot for antisocial behaviour and repeat shoplifting” since being taken over by the supermarket giant.
Cllr Salmon claimed the store was widely perceived locally as having “minimal effective security” and operating a “no touch” approach to theft, which he argued had contributed to persistent criminality around the site.
“Residents are left dealing with intimidation, aggression, public disorder and the wider criminality linked to organised theft and drug dependency,” he wrote.
The councillor also revealed he had recently been assaulted outside his home by one of the individuals he says regularly gathers near the store.
“I was recently assaulted by one of these individuals outside my home in front of my daughter, who now anxiously keeps watch over the groups that regularly gather outside from her bedroom window,” he said.
The strongly worded letter broadens beyond the specific store to criticise the wider business practices of major supermarket chains.
“For years, Tesco and the other supermarket giants have undercut independent local businesses and squeezed farmers and suppliers in pursuit of market dominance,” Cllr Salmon noted. “Now ordinary communities are left paying the social cost of your policies.”
While acknowledging that staff should not be expected to physically confront offenders, Cllr Salmon argued Tesco had the resources to provide stronger security measures and work more effectively with police.
He said: “Nobody expects Tesco staff to physically confront offenders but a company of Tesco’s size can afford proper security, meaningful cooperation with police, and safeguards to stop stores becoming magnets for repeat criminality.”
The councillor said local people were “exhausted” by the ongoing disruption and warned that frustration over crime and perceived corporate indifference risked deepening wider social tensions.
Tesco has not yet publicly responded to the letter.