Crypto · The Register
Met police trials snoop tech service in push to cuff more London shoplifters
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London's Metropolitan Police is trialing new retail technology to help curtail the city's pervasive shoplifting problem… and it doesn't rely on live facial recognition (LFR).
Key facts
- One woman launched a case with the UK's Information Commissioner's Office in 2025 after claiming she was falsely added to a Facewatch database when retailer Home Bargains alleged she stole a packet
- Although London is still a hotspot for thefts, especially of mobile phones, the Met said shoplifting cases were reduced by 3.7 percent between April 2025 and March 2026, representing around 3,200
- Sara Tetlow, safer business network partnership manager at the Met, said 83 percent of businesses in Lewisham reported feeling safer four months after the pilot
- Around 80 percent of cases filed with CCTV footage lead to the shoplifter being identified
Summary
The Met describes the technology as a platform that retail stores can use to report incidents of shoplifting "instantly," sharing CCTV footage alongside the report. "This gives officers immediate access to high‑quality evidence at the point of reporting and helps identify repeat offenders operating across boroughs," the Met's announcement states. The pilot program kicked off in January, honing in on stores in Lewisham and central London, and has seen "positive outcome rates" well above the force's average. These are defined as arrests, charges, or convictions.