24 September 2024

Initial results from Foodstuffs’ North Island facial recognition trial are showing technology offers real opportunities in the fight against retail crime, Retail NZ says.

The trial ended earlier this month with early results showing positive signs of reducing harm to the supermarkets’ staff. The trial was in place for six months across 25 New World and PAK’nSAVE stores in the North Island.

During the trial there were 1,747 alerts with only one reported case of misidentification and four others where identity was established following conversations with the customer. The early results show that the trial reduced serious harmful incidents by avoiding an estimated 130 incidents such as assault and verbal abuse, and has seen an 8% reduction in crime over the last quarter.

“Full credit to Foodstuffs North Island for taking a transparent and robust approach to trialling facial recognition. The early indications are encouraging and I look forward to further updates when the final report is completed. Preliminary findings show real potential to improve safety and prevent harm to staff,” Retail NZ Chief Executive Carolyn Young says.

Ms Young is also a member of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Retail Crime.

“Over a third of offences in retail are caused by recidivous offenders. Facial recognition has assisted participating stores to identify who is in their store, enabling a pro-active approach to decisions on how to act. Evidence tells us that early identification of who is in a store assists in maintaining a safe working environment. The trial showed that actions taken in store can range from observation, to asking an individual to leave, to no action at all.

“I have been fortunate to see the trial in action and was encouraged that the training and security measures taken to ensure privacy considerations for all customers were balanced against the key focus of ensuring everyone is protected. I was impressed with the thoroughness of the system.

“A key question for the wider retail sector is where to from here? The rise in retail crime means that all retailers are considering what actions they can take to keep their staff, customers and stores safe. Facial recognition is one tool that can assist with improving safety in store. If you know who is in store you can have a plan to manage those situations, however more work is needed on legislation to support retailers in the fight against crime, but we believe that technology is a critical part of that solution. We wait expectantly on the independent evaluator’s final report of the trial, due out in the next few weeks.”

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