The technology is designed to spot and alert staff to ‘misscans’ and ‘skip scans’ at self-checkouts – so when items that pass the checkout but aren’t included in the basket total
Home Bargains has installed AI cameras to detect theft at self-checkouts by spotting unscanned items. The bargain retailer is working with tech firm SAI (Storewide Active Intelligence) and Everseen as part of a trial.
The technology is designed to spot and alert staff to “misscans” and ”skip scans” at self-checkouts – so when items that pass the checkout but aren’t included in the basket total. The cameras are being used in the Home Bargains Speke store, which is only one of four branches where self-checkout tills have been installed. Home Bargains has more than 600 stores in total.
Home Bargains operations director Paul Rowland told The Grocer the retailer found technology more effective than security guards. The measure is designed to stop shoplifters, following a huge rise in retail crime. It comes after Home Bargains launched a confidential hotline for customers to report information about shoplifting and crime at their stores in 2023.
At the time, posters were also seen in stores offering customers a reward of up to £500 if they give a tip-off that leads to prosecution. The Telegraph quoted the poster as saying: “Even if not caught at the time, we use this CCTV evidence to pursue shoplifters after they have left the store. As well as police prosecutions, we also carry out civil prosecutions against shoplifters.”
The latest figures from industry body the British Retail Consortium (BRC) show retailers reported a staggering 20.4 million customer thefts in the 12 months to September last year.
The amount spent on crime prevention is also at a record high, with retailers investing £1.8billion on measures such as CCTV, more security personnel, anti-theft devices and body worn cameras, up from £1.2billion the previous year. The BRC says this added cost for businesses, filters down to higher prices for customers.
The Government introduced a new Crime and Policing Bill in February this year, which features a range of measures including removing the £200 low value limit for shoplifting, meaning the maximum sentence for shop theft will be seven years regardless of value. It also includes making it a standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “Retail crime is spiralling out of control. People in retail have been spat on, racially abused, and threatened with machetes.
“Every day this continues, criminals are getting bolder and more aggressive. We owe it to the three million hardworking people working in retail to bring the epidemic of crime to heel.
“No one should go to work in fear. With little faith in police attendance, it is no wonder criminals feel they have licence to steal, threaten, assault and abuse. Retailers are spending more than ever before, but they cannot prevent crime alone. We need the police to respond to and handle every reported incident appropriately.
“We look forward to seeing crucial legislation to protect retail workers being put in place later this year. Only if the industry, Government and police work together, can we finally see this awful trend reverse.”
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