As the Daily Mail reports, Sports Direct has recently begun using facial recognition cameras that scan customers’ faces and check them against a database of suspected criminals. Frasers Group, which owns Sports Direct and is controlled by billionaire Mike Ashley, found itself compelled to do so after police stopped arresting shoplifters. At least 12 Sports Direct and 13 Flannels (also Frasers) stores are said to have cameras linked to artificial intelligence to identify criminals, according to the Daily Mail. Civil libertarians claimed shortly after the news broke that millions of customers will soon be subjected to “Orwellian surveillance,” while the Information Commissioner’s Office announced it was investigating the legality of the cameras’ use. However, crime experts believe that retail chains are being forced to act in the face of an “epidemic” of shoplifting and police failure to apprehend thieves.
According to the British Retail Consortium, shoplifting has risen from 2.9 million in 2016/17 to 7.9 million last year. The cost to retailers almost doubled from £503 million (€573.2m) to £953 million (€1.09bn) over the same period.
Photo: Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash
