How Morrisons built a winning security strategy in 18 months

What does it take to transform a retail security strategy in just 18 months?

In this episode, Ellen Dick, Director of Retail Partnerships - UK and Ireland at Auror, sits down with Hannah Cleary, Senior Manager Crime & Security at Morrisons, to explore how one of the UK’s largest retailers built a more connected, intelligence-led approach to tackling retail crime and violence.

Hannah shares the challenges Morrisons encountered, from fragmented technology and inconsistent reporting to rising retail crime and growing concerns about colleague safety. She explains how the team shifted from a traditional security model focused on physical infrastructure and guarding to a strategy built on intelligence, collaboration, and data-led decision-making.

The conversation further explores the role of Morrisons’ Crime Hub, the impact of connected investigations, and how technologies such as automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) help teams identify repeat offenders, expand investigations, and prevent harm before it occurs. Hannah also reflects on the importance of strong partnerships, integrated technology, and building trust across stores, security teams, and law enforcement.

From securing leadership buy-in to creating a scalable foundation for future innovation, this episode offers a practical look at what it takes to modernize retail security while keeping colleagues at the center of every decision.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• 30% of Morrisons' investigations are now initiated or significantly expanded by an ANPR alert, with detected vehicles carrying a 5X higher average event value.

• Morrisons built their ASR trial on top of an already established, well-used reporting platform, giving them the confidence to move forward without adding complexity.

• 9 out of 10 security colleagues at Morrisons reported feeling safer as a result of Auror intelligence, proving that intelligence-led crime prevention is as much a people outcome as a financial one.

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Introduction to Morrisons’ transformation

(02:52) The challenges driving change

(05:58) Moving beyond traditional security

(09:40) Early results from crime intelligence

(16:19) Using data to guide security strategy

(17:24) How ANPR strengthened investigations

(23:55) Inside Morrisons’ Crime Hub

(27:53) Building a connected partner ecosystem

(30:20) Exploring subject recognition responsibly

(33:18) Advice for retailers starting out

Resources:

• Hannah Cleary’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-cleary-886ab738/ 

• Morrisons’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/morrisonsjobs/ 

• Ellen Dick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellendick/

• Understand the latest organized retail crime trends: https://www.auror.co/retail-crime-insights-report

• Learn more about organized retail crime: https://www.auror.co/organized-retail-crime

• Auror’s website: https://www.auror.co/