London shops deploy facial recognition in theft epidemic – The Standard podcast

London is in the clutches of a theft epidemic that has seen a huge increase in crime over the past year.

In this episode, Evening Standard crime correspondent Anthony France reports on how shoplifting is now being recorded in the capital. costs retailers more than £9 million each month as crimes increased nearly 50 percent.

He comes as head of the British Retail Consortium, he writes in this newspaper, reveals how “violence, abuse and theft have increased significantly compared to pre-Covid levels.” Helen Dickinson says that thieves are becoming bolder and more aggressivecontributing to what she calls “a torrent of violence and abuse” against store staff.”

But Dickinson adds that only seven percent of violent and abusive incidents result in prosecution, and the figure is even lower for shoplifting.

More and more brazen thieves are breaking into stores with wheelie bins, suitcases and travel bags to clear shelves of items.

Criminals often steal highly sought-after products, such as meat and baby formula,

Our correspondent tells how staff who try to intervene are subjected to racist and sexist insults, threats and violence.

A supermarket inside London Coop was looted three times in one day by organized gangs.

Trials of facial recognition technology are being promoted as a possible solution to help stop thieves, although privacy advocates warn they are becoming increasingly saturated. closed TV circuit It comes at the expense of civil liberties.

Meanwhile, on the streets of the capital, Londoners High-value watches continue to be subject to violent thefts, and we will have more information on this in the second part of the Standard podcast.

Listen above, or wherever you find your podcasts.