Britain’s biggest retailers have come together to fund a new facial recognition police operation in an effort to combat shoplifting. The initiative, known as Operation Pegasus, is part of the government’s zero-tolerance approach to shop thefts, as reported by the Times of London. Under this partnership, police forces will use facial recognition technology to analyze CCTV images of shoplifting offences provided by retailers through the Police National Database.
The collaboration between retailers and the police has been hailed as a game-changer by police chiefs. It will provide a national picture of where shoplifting gangs operate and the specific shops they target. The Times revealed that supermarkets and retailers, including John Lewis, Co-op, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, and Next, have pledged £600,000 to support the Pegasus project.
During a meeting at the Home Office, ministers, police chiefs, and representatives from leading retailers identified three categories of shoplifters: opportunists, adult offenders driven by addiction, and individuals hired by organized crime gangs. Pegasus aims to target and dismantle these criminal organizations. The project will create a national shoplifting database, which will be shared with retailers and police forces across the country.
Policing Minister, Chris Philp, has instructed police leaders to compile a list of prolific shoplifters and requested that a portion of officers funded by the government’s antisocial behavior hotspot policing initiative be dedicated to patrolling areas with high rates of shoplifting. Philp emphasizes the importance of a zero-tolerance approach to shoplifting, stating that it creates a sense of lawlessness.
The UK aims to avoid a shoplifting epidemic similar to what occurred in San Francisco. With a zero-tolerance policy, the UK hopes to prevent the financial losses and business abandonment experienced in San Francisco. Shoplifting offenses have risen by 25% this year, according to the Office for National Statistics. However, police have been criticized for not taking the crime seriously, with only 14% of reported incidents resulting in charges. The British Retail Consortium estimates that there are approximately eight million shoplifting incidents annually, costing retailers nearly £1 billion.
In Sussex, the police and the Co-op supermarket chain have partnered to combat shoplifting by streamlining the reporting process. Staff can now report thefts with the simple press of a button, reducing reporting time from 30 minutes to an average of two minutes. This partnership has increased the number of reports submitted to the police and has resulted in a 35% increase in shoplifting incidents and a 36% rise in assaults on staff at Co-op stores.
The collaborative effort between retailers, police forces, and the government aims to crack down on shoplifting and dismantle organized crime gangs behind these offenses. By utilizing facial recognition technology and sharing information nationwide, the police hope to create a comprehensive overview of shoplifting patterns and effectively combat this form of crime.