Grocer Asda has begun trialling live facial recognition at five stores in a bid to assess how the technology can help it battle spiking rates of retail crime.
The supermarket giant said it had begun the trial at five stores across the Greater Manchester area, which Asda is integrating into its existing CCTV networks by scanning images and comparing the results to “a known list of individuals who have previously committed criminal activity on an Asda site”.
The retailer said that, if a match is found by the system, “in a matter of seconds a member of the Asda head office security team will conduct a check and feedback to the store in real time”.
The five stores picked for the trial are in Ashton, Chadderton, Harpurhey, Eastlands and Trafford Park for an initial period of two months. Asda said “the results [will be] assessed before any decision is taken on whether to expand the trial or roll it out to further locations”.
Asda chief commercial officer – non-food and retail Liz Evans said: “The rise in shoplifting and threats and violence against shopworkers in recent years is unacceptable and as a responsible retailer we have to look at all options to reduce the number of offences committed in our stores and protect our colleagues.
“We consistently look for new ways to improve the security in our stores and this trial will help us understand if facial recognition technology can reduce the number of incidents and provide greater protection to everybody in our stores.”
The announcement comes after Asda recorded c.1,400 assaults on staff last year, an average of four per day.
Asda said that “with these figures highlighting the growing threat of retail crime” the trial is part of the business “exploring new ways to combat this problem”.
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