The increased access to facial recognition software and AI has enabled small retailers to install an invaluable tool to thwart repeat shoplifters or shoplifters who target a specific area of a city. Some of the new facial recognition software integrates into existing point-of-entry systems and CCTV arrays.
While labelling a person who is flagged on the software as a shoplifter may have legal ramifications if you share (publish) the images with other retailers, there is an end-around to deal with this modest risk.
Years ago, we compiled a list of people who had passed NSF cheques in one retail outlet with a collection of nearly 100 other stores in the city. We did not promote the list as people who had committed a crime,since most NSF cheques never see a courtroom or criminal complaint. Rather, they were people who had not repaid teh amounts of the cheque they passed. It was perfectly legal, and it deterred tens of thousands of dollars of losses, as well as stimulating equal amounts of repayments of those debts.
The same technique applies to sharing images of people that you have or intend to ban from your store. You flag them as potential undesirables, without claims of criminal behaviour. The risk of being labelled across an entire urban environment is a deterrent for some of those people who are bookmarked. For others, the security system you have may be able to set off an alarm for you to respond when that person enters the store.
Forbes recently published an article on the rise of facial recognition as a tool to defend against shoplifting. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2024/10/21/the-rise-of-facial-recognition-in-retail-what-shoppers-should-know/.
Even if your business is unable to afford the software and security systems, consider sharing photos generated from your in-store cameras with other local retailers to provide an early warning system for each other.
Again, our company used shared data in the regions where we had active shoplifter surveillance in the same manner as our NSF cheque lists, but using a more immediate model. When we had apprehended or identified a shoplifter that we believed was a regular thief, we would photograph them in-store and provide copies to other local businesses, either via cell phone or print copies. In occasional instances, our investigators would follow the shoplifter to nearby stores and alert management at that store. Using this very hands-on approach, we eliminated many perpetual thieves and possibly saved a great deal of loss for other retailers. At the same time, our clients benefitted, since the loosely organized shoplifter rings would pass on the word about our tactics and begin avoiding the area.
Effective shoplift deterrence involves a multi-faceted approach, with an aggressive practice that can be employed in any town, city or region to great effect.
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