Asda has begun trialling Live Facial Recognition at five stores in Greater Manchester to assess how this technology can be used to improve colleague and customer safety in store.
The trial comes at a time when retailers are facing an epidemic of retail crime. According to the BRC trade body, there are more than 2,000 incidents of violence and abuse against shopworkers every day – a threefold increase since 2020.
Asda recorded circa 1,400 assaults on colleagues last year, an average of four per day.
With these figures highlighting the growing threat of retail crime, Asda and other businesses are exploring new ways to combat this problem, including trialling facial recognition technology.
The technology is integrated into Asda’s existing CCTV network and works by scanning images and comparing the results to a known list of individuals who have previously committed criminal activity on an Asda site.
If a match is found by the automated 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 trial will take place at five locations in Greater Manchester (Ashton, Chadderton, Harpurhey, Eastlands and Trafford Park), for an initial period of two months and the results assessed before any decision is taken on whether to extend the trial or roll it out to further locations.
Liz Evans, Chief Commercial Officer – Non-food and Retail at Asda, 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.”
