Iceland is making major change to ALL its checkouts across UK in new crackdown
ICELAND is set to make a major change to all of its checkouts in the UK in a bid to crack down on theft and violence against staff.
The retailer plans to install facial recognition cameras in stores with trials of the scheme already underway.
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Two Iceland stores are currently trailing the technology with plans in place to roll out the cameras more widely.
How does it work?
Cameras are reportedly provided by Facewatch, a security firm that also works with Home Bargains and several other big retailers.
The technology is said to check customers faces against a database of people deemed to have committed a crime in the past.
If a former criminal is spotted the system will alert all staff so that action can be taken.
If the tech doesn't find a match on the database the information is immediately deleted.
The cameras check customers against a "subjects of interest" database as they enter the store.
When are the cameras being installed?
The new tech is currently being trialled at stores in Bradford and Salford.
Iceland reportedly plans to expand this to six stores by October 2025 and roll it out further following that.
The firm claimed that the tech had only been installed after a due diligence process.
Iceland said that the the system provided by Facewatch had been reviewed by the Information Commissioner's Office and the firm's status as a data controller made it a reliable partner.
It's expected that the tech will lead to a massive 30 per cent reduction in violent incidents in stores.
Facewatch claim that the tech is proven to reduce theft by at least 35 per cent in the first year.
Retailers across the country have been trialling facial recognition cameras in a bid to clamp down on theft.
Which other stores are using the tech?
Asda have been trialling a similar system in five different stores since March.
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Home Bargains, B&M and Frasers Group – including Flannels, House of Fraser, Sports Direct and Evans Cycles, have all been trialling Facewatch in stores.
Iceland addressed the roll out of the technology in a statement, with a spokesperson saying: "Following a robust due diligence process, we can confirm that our facial recognition trial is now live in two stores and will expand further this year.
"This is part of our continued investment into tackling violent retail crime and protecting the safety of our colleagues and customers."
55k thefts every day across UK
By Julia Atherley
BRITAIN is facing a shop- lifting epidemic with a record 55,000 incidents a day.
In 2024, it cost retailers £2.2billion, up from £1.8billion in 2023, figures show.
Offences reported by police in England and Wales have jumped 23 per cent to more than 492,000 in the past 12 months, says the Office for National Statistics.
The scourge is being driven by the perception that offenders are rarely caught or punished.
Graham Wynn, of the British Retail Consortium, described shoplifting as a 'major trigger for violence and abuse against staff'.
Mr Wynn said: 'The rise in organised crime is a significant concern, with gangs hitting stores one after another.
'Sadly, such theft is not a victimless crime; it pushes up the cost for honest shoppers and damages the customer experience.'
Labour has promised to make assaulting a retail worker an offence and treat more seriously thefts of goods worth less than £200.
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