Key facts
- Major UK retailers including Tesco, Morrisons, M&S, Boots, Primark, and Greggs are collaborating to tackle shoplifting.
- A shared database will store photos, CCTV footage, and information on repeat offenders.
- The Auror system, already used in 98% of New Zealand stores, is being implemented.
- This technology allows retailers to submit evidence directly to police, reducing investigation times from weeks to minutes.
- The Met Police reported a quadrupling of shoplifters brought to justice in London using this system.
- Shoplifting offences in London have decreased by nearly four percent.
Major UK retailers, including Greggs, Boots, Marks & Spencer, Tesco, Morrisons, and Primark, are joining forces with police to combat a surge in shoplifting. The initiative involves uploading photos, CCTV footage, and information about repeat offenders to a shared database, utilizing the Auror system.
This technology, first developed in New Zealand, allows retailers to submit evidence directly to officers, significantly reducing investigation times from potentially weeks to mere minutes. The Met Police have reported a quadrupling of shoplifters brought to justice in London as a result of this new system, with reported shoplifting offences in the capital decreasing by nearly four percent.
The collaboration aims to address what has been described as a shoplifting epidemic, with official figures showing a 20% increase in recorded offences last year. Investigators believe that by focusing on the top 10% of offenders, who are responsible for approximately 70% of thefts, store thefts could be substantially reduced. Currently, only about 5% of shoplifting incidents are reported to the police, highlighting the under-reporting issue the new platform seeks to address.
The rollout coincides with the Home Office's Safer Streets summer scheme, which provides extra officers to towns across England and Wales to tackle shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has emphasized the importance of such partnerships, stating that tackling retail crime is crucial for local economies and community safety, and should not be treated as a low-level issue.