British grocery chain Waitrose is offering free coffees to cops under a plan to deter shoplifters. Assaults on staff at Waitrose stores have roughly doubled since 2020, The Times of London reported. Waitrose, an upmarket grocer with more than 300 stores, has begun offering uniformed officers free hot drinks from its coffee machines and will ask them to bring a reusable cup. Parent company John Lewis Partnership said in a press release shared with Insider that the initiative was "part of efforts to strengthen relationships and tackle retail crime." It's trialing increasing the number of security, warning customers that CCTV is in use and that shoplifters face jail time.

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Persons: John Lewis, Nicki Juniper, John Lewis Partnership's, It's, Juniper, BRC Organizations: Waitrose, shoplifters, Service, John Lewis Partnership, Partners, The Times, British Retail Consortium, BBC News Locations: London, Wall, Silicon, England, Wales, Northern Ireland