THE Co-op lost £80million to theft last year, as the shoplifting epidemic shows little sign of ending.
Bosses at the grocery chain said despite spending £200million on security kit, including body-cams and shielding for staff, their stores were still being targeted by criminals.
The value of thefts across its shops was 14 per cent higher than the year before.
But Co-op Food boss Matt Hood said there has been a slowdown since trialling facial recognition software, which passes on criminals’ identities to police.
The tech also uses AI to detect shoplifters’ concealed items and can ask security for support during physical assaults.
However, Mr Hood said the criminals were now just being pushed to other nearby shops who cannot afford the expensive security kit.
The Co-op has been a campaigner for greater prosecution of criminals who assault shopworkers.
It also wants the theft of goods worth less than £200 to be treated as a more serious offence.
Industry statistics show theft from shops hit £2.2billion last year, up from £1.8billion the previous year.
GettyThe Co-op lost £80million to theft last year as shoplifting epidemic shows little sign of ending[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
