Major change for shoppers as police use new tactics to tackle shoplifting – with yobs to be identified with face ID

SHOPLIFTING yobs will be snared with facial recognition under a police blitz launching today to crush the crime wave.

Top cops met ministers and store chiefs this morning to rubber-stamp plans being rolled out as part of Operation Pegasus. 

A police crackdown on shoplifting was launched today

It will include a pledge for officers to investigate any evidence that could lead to catching an aisle-thieving criminal.

Police will vow to urgently swoop on any scene where shop workers have suffered violence, or where security have detained a shoplifter.

All other offences will be responded to based on risk, with nabbing prolific and young offenders prioritised. 

Serial shoplifters will be identified with state-of-the-art face ID by the police national database to help efforts to prosecute them.

However the rollout of more face ID will likely anger civil liberties campaigners warning against Big Brother style tech.

Shoplifting has surged by more than a quarter this past year to hit more than a thousand reports a day.

In the 12 months to June, a staggering 365,164 cases were reported to the police. 

Despairing bosses from 13 retailers including Tesco, Lidl and Primark are contributing £840,000 to help Pegasus get going.

Policing Minister Chris Philp said: “I want a new zero-tolerance approach to tackling shoplifting.

“It is a blight on our highstreets and communities and puts the livelihoods of traders at risk. I am determined to drive forward change.”

Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Acquisitive Crime, added: “We welcome the collaboration between retailers, police and crime commissioners and policing through Project Pegasus which centralises intelligence and enhances our ability to identify and tackle the groups involved.”

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