A Derbyshire retailer has embraced the very latest technology in an effort to protect his store from crime.

Among the innovative devices installed by Dee Sedani at his Londis News R Us store in Etwall are facial-recognition software for CCTV, which identifies when anyone who is banned from the store attempts to enter, and a hot-spot alert which notifies him if high-value products have not been scanned within a few minutes of being removed from the shelf.

The £4,000 system is linked to Dee's epos and will also generate an email alert if a refund has been given on a high-value item by a member of staff, preventing 'sweetheart fraud'.

CCTV monitors on the tills also mean staff members can keep an eye on what's going on around the store while serving customers, and without having to look away.

Dee said that although his store doesn't usually suffer from crime, it's important for retailers to be proactive and look past the initial cost of installing similar security measures.

"It's better to be able to prevent an incident in your store than have to deal with it after," he advised. "This is a long-term investment that will help me better protect my business."