{"id":59290,"date":"2025-09-04T08:30:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T08:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/sainsburys-eyes-up-shoplifters-with-live-facial-recognition\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T08:30:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T08:30:08","slug":"sainsburys-eyes-up-shoplifters-with-live-facial-recognition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/sainsburys-eyes-up-shoplifters-with-live-facial-recognition\/","title":{"rendered":"Sainsbury’s eyes up shoplifters with live facial recognition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sainsbury’s, Britain’s second-largest supermarket chain, has caught the attention of privacy campaigners by launching an eight-week trial of live facial recognition (LFR) tech in two of its stores to curb shoplifting.<\/p>\n

A survey of the grocer’s customers in July indicated a majority support for the use of LFR to protect staff and customers, it said, with 63 percent saying it would help to identify repeat offenders.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

UK’s first permanent facial recognition cameras installed in South London<\/h2>\n

READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

“We have listened to the deep concerns our colleagues and customers have and they’re right to expect us to act,” CEO Simon Roberts said in a statement. “The retail sector is at a crossroads, facing rising abuse, antisocial behavior and violence. We must put safety first.”<\/p>\n

The British Retail Consortium’s crime survey<\/a> found 20 million incidents of theft in 2023-24, up 25 percent year-on-year and costing \u00a32.2 billion. There were an estimated 2,000-plus instances of violence and abuse against shopworkers a day.<\/p>\n

Data from the Office for National Statistics indicates there were more than 530,000 shoplifting crimes<\/a> committed in the year to March, up by a fifth on the 2024 figures.<\/p>\n