A survey of over 2,000 adults has found the majority of people support retail firms deploying facial-recognition systems to protect retail workers.
The YouGov poll of 2,133 people found that 65.6% of respondents agreed retailers should be allowed to use facial-recognition systems to prevent theft and anti-social behaviour, with 61% saying they would feel safer if they worked in a shop that featured such a system. A further 86% said they considered retail workers deserve better protection.
The survey was commissioned by security technology company Facewatch, which says that based on facial-recognition alert data, offender activity could increase by as much as 76% in the weeks leading up to Christmas compared to the same period last year.
Facewatch says October 2024 saw its system issue 28,200 alerts after people associated with retail crime entered shops kitted out with its system, with this figure jumping to 49,372 in the same month this year, a 75% rise. Based on that, the firm predicts December will see 58,700 alerts issued.
Facewatch’s chief executive, Nick Fisher, commented: “People are tired of seeing headlines about shopworkers being punched, spat at or threatened with weapons just for doing their jobs.
“This research shows the public is behind sensible, privacy-respecting technology that stops the offenders who cause the most harm and protects those on the frontline.
“With Christmas footfall in shops about to peak over the coming weeks and months, and Black Friday just around the corner, that protection has never mattered more.”
Fisher emphasised that his firm’s system offers “near-100 per cent accuracy” and stressed that data generated by shoppers’ faces is immediately deleted if no match is found against its watchlist.
