Iceland is installing facial recognition technology in branches in a major change at checkouts aimed at cracking down on theft and violence against staff. Two of the supermarket chain’s outlets are testing the cameras, which check customers’ faces against a database of known offenders. If a match is made, the system sends an alert to staff.
If the pilot is a success, more of the tech could be rolled out to other Iceland shops. Other retailers, including Home Bargains, B&M, and Frasers Group, also use the Facewatch security system. An Iceland spokesperson said, “Following a robust due diligence process, we can confirm our facial recognition trial is now live in two stores and will expand further this year.”
They told the Mirror: “This is part of our continued investment into tackling violent retail crime and protecting the safety of our colleagues and customers.”
According to recent official statistics, the number of shoplifting offences recorded by police last year surpassed 500,000 for the first time. Co-op staff this week raised the alarm at having to man shops alone as it leaves them open to threats.
The British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) latest annual crime survey found more than 20 million incidents of theft were committed in the year to August 31, 2024.
This equates to 55,000 a day at a cost to retailers of £2.2 billion. In 2023, there were 16 million incidents of theft, according to the BRC survey.
The industry body said many of the thefts were linked to organised crime, with gangs targeting outlets across the UK.
Cases of violence against shop staff also rose in 2024. From 1,300 daily incidents in 2023 to 2,000 per day last year.
The BRC report showed 61% of survey respondents described the police response as “poor” or “very poor”, with scant confidence officers will attend incidents.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the BRC, has said with “little faith” police will attend it was “no wonder criminals feel they have a licence to steal, threaten, assault and abuse”.
In October, the Retail Trust published the results of a survey of 1,240 retail workers, which found 47% of respondents feared for their safety at work and 39% had considered leaving their jobs or the industry due to the rise in violence and abuse.
The National Police Chief’s Council said forces have made “significant strides” in the fight against retail crime, bringing a number of high-harm offenders to justice. Meanwhile, unions have called for tough new laws to end the scourge.
A plan aimed at reducing retail crime was published by the previous Conservative government in April last year. It outlined measures to help tackle the issue, including making it an offence to assault a retail worker and boosting police facial recognition capabilities.
The current Labour Government has committed to making it a specific offence to assault retail workers under its crime and policing bill.
The Budget also announced extra funding, including £5m over three years to fund a police unit to tackle organised criminal gangs that target retailers.