New ‘secret weapon’ to catch shoplifters red-handed sees you watched every second & it’s saved store £26,000 a YEAR
SHOP owners have hailed a new ‘secret weapon’ which can stop brazen shoplifters in their tracks.
Vince and Fiona Malone have owned Tenby Post Office in Wales since 2015.
As the Covid-19 pandemic started to wane, the couple would notice a number of items missing from their shelves.
To confirm their suspicion, the owners carried out stock checks, pored through CCTV footage and ultimately realised that they were losing an eye-watering £26,000 of stock annually, the duo wrote in Metro.
Alcohol was a popular pick for brazen shoplifters, as was pet food.
The couple conceded that they felt “compassion” for locals whose actions were fuelled by addiction, but nonetheless knew something had to be done.
Vince and Fiona, who employ 14 workers at the convenience store, started by relocating the booze aisle to behind the counter.
To quash out the subtler crimes – where “a group of two or three people would come in, one would make themselves known to a member of staff, being very chatty and pleasant – deliberately stopping the staff member from looking around, which meant their accomplice could take things off the shelves” – the couple weighed up their options.
After a trip to a technology show in May 2023, the owners snagged some state-of-the-art x-hoppers headsets and cameras.
“The headsets act as a communication tool,” the couple said.
“But also, if a staff member is having a conversation with a customer and is worrying for their safety, they can record the conversation on their headset, allowing other staff members to listen in.
“We also now have 29 AI cameras installed which are plugged into our CCTV; and the cameras analyse customers’ behaviour.
“If someone were to grab something from a shelf, it’ll immediately pick up on that grab motion.
“This might be flagged as a shoplifting incident, and a video will be sent to each of us and to our shop manager.
“An AI reading of a potential theft will also trigger a tannoy system, which says: ‘Please be aware, if anyone were to be caught shoplifting, we’ve got 29 cameras and we monitor them constantly'”.
SHOPLIFTING SPIKE
It comes after almost half of adults admit shoplifting from supermarkets, a shock survey claimed.
And many pinch goods when using self-checkouts.
The most common stolen item is the 10p reusable bag — which six out of ten admit not paying for.
Some 45 per cent nick baked goods such as pasties, pastries and bread rolls.
And 40 per cent admit to stealing fruit, either eating it in the store or not entering it at the self-checkout.
A huge 1,075 of 2,500 people polled — 43 per cent — owned up to stealing from the stores.
The top excuse was the cost of living crisis and other financial pressures.
Some said they were motivated by the ease with which certain items can be stolen without detection.
And a significant minority claimed they steal as a protest against what they see as unfair practices by large corporations.
The study, carried out by marketing website fatjoe, said: “These findings call for a revaluation of how supermarkets address theft.
“The data suggests current deterrents may not be effective for a large portion of the population — pointing to the need for innovative solutions that address prevention and the underlying causes of theft.
“Motivations behind stealing, highlight the importance of addressing broader socioeconomic issues such as poverty and inequality which may indirectly contribute to the prevalence of theft.”
Boss Joe Davies said: “This survey sheds light on the significant issue of supermarket theft in Britain — revealing not only the scale but nuances behind why people choose to steal.
“The results serve as a call to action to adopt more holistic and compassionate approaches to prevent theft — ultimately aiming for a solution that benefits consumers and the retail industry.”