Battling Retail Crime with Tech: Body-Worn Cameras and Beyond

According to recently released figures, the number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales has risen to the highest level on record, surpassing half a million offences for the first time in 2024. But what can be done to prevent their rise and can technology help? Chris Price reports….

According to the Office for National Statistics, a total of 516,971 shoplifting offences were recorded in England and Wales last year in 2024, a 20% increase on the 429,873 in 2023. This is the highest level of shoplifting since current police recording practices began in 2003, although retailers say the official figures “severely underestimate” the scale of the problem.

Indeed, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) suggests the actual figures could be nearly 8 million crimes annually, costing retailers close to £1 billion. Furthermore, of the shoplifting offences recorded, only 14% resulted in prosecution, and in over half of the cases (54%), no suspect was identified.

Increasing levels of violence

What’s even more worrying is that at the same time as rising incidents of shoplifting, we are also seeing increasing levels of violence against staff. The BRC’s annual Crime Survey revealed a doubling of daily incidents, including racial and sexual abuse, physical assault, and threats with weapons, rising from 450 pre-COVID-19 to over 850 in 2021/2022. The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) reported in its 2020 Crime Report that a quarter of violent incidents led to injury, with weapons used in almost 20% of cases.

In response, retailers are adopting various technologies, with body-worn cameras at the forefront, to help in the fight against crime. A large part of the problem reckons Professor Emmeline Taylor, a criminologist at London’s City University is inadequate police response. “Often there’s violence and aggression, even threats to kill, in these reports and yet a freedom of information request from the Co-Op showed that the police respond in less than 30% of cases,” Taylor says.

She describes a sense of lawlessness on the high street, exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis, mental health problems, and a perception that shoplifting carries minimal consequences.

“Essentially, what we’re seeing is the perfect storm where several factors have coalesced to create a lawless environment where offenders can commit shop theft with relatively little consequence,” Taylor adds.

“Nor is it shoplifting in the traditional sense, but organised looting. People are coming into shops with suitcases and wheelie bins and clearing entire shelves. They’re not even bothering to hide the fact they’re doing it anymore.”

Tom Holder, Head of Communications at the BRC, confirms the increase in organized retail crime, while Graham Swallow, Retail Sector lead for Axis Communications, notes that “People are stealing to order to sell via platforms such as Facebook Marketplace or eBay.”

The problem isn’t confined to the UK either. The National Retail Federation’s 2022 Retail Security Survey in the US reported a 26.5% increase in organized retail crime incidents, resulting in $94.5 billion in losses.

“Essentially what we’re seeing is the perfect storm where several factors have coalesced to create a lawless environment where offenders can commit shop theft with relatively little consequence.”

Emmeline Taylor, Professor of Criminology at London’s City University

Body-Worn Cameras: A Frontline Defence

In response to this escalating crisis, retailers are increasingly turning to technology, particularly body-worn cameras. Once primarily used by security guards, these devices are now being adopted by a broader range of retail staff.

Recently the Co-Op, for example, announced a £70 million investment over three years in innovative technology, including body-worn cameras, following a significant rise in store crime and attacks on staff. Cheryl Houghton, Co-Op Retail Security Manager, stated at the time of the announcement: “I have never seen such high levels of violence and abuse, it’s a societal issue that all retailers are concerned about and it’s having lasting effects on the lives of shop workers – both mentally and physically.”

Tesco is also providing body-worn cameras to its frontline staff, with Chief Executive Ken Murphy emphasizing that employees “deserve to be safe at work” after reporting more than 200 serious physical assaults on staff each month. Graham Swallow of Axis Communications suggests that body-worn cameras are most effective at potential “flashpoints,” such as help desks or checkouts, where confrontations with customers are most likely.

No surprise then that the wearable and body-worn camera market is experiencing substantial growth. Mordor Intelligence Limited projects the market to expand from $6.47 billion in 2023 to $13.57 billion by 2028, with a significant portion of this growth attributed to the retail sector. A report on the wearable and body-worn cameras market can be found here: https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/wearable-and-body-worn-cameras-market

Rory McGoldrick, CEO of Safe Crowds, notes the shift in bodycam usage, stating, “Until around two years ago we never really deployed bodycams, at least in a retail setting. They were mainly used in hospitality settings, particularly bars and nightclubs.” Safe Crowds (https://safecrowds.io/) now uses them as “a visible deterrent to potential criminals” and to improve customer service by providing a record of interactions. McGoldrick also highlights their value in resolving legal disputes, as they provide an objective record of events.

How Body-Worn Cameras Work

Body-worn cameras record audio and video footage, either storing it on the device or streaming it in real-time to a security control centre via Wi-Fi or cellular technology. Some models have a display for the wearer, while others are more compact and discreet.

Companies like Digital Barriers are collaborating with telecoms operators to enhance body-worn camera capabilities. Kunal Shukla, Digital Barriers’ Senior Vice President of Technology, explains their video compression technology, which reduces bandwidth requirements for live streaming. “If the body worn camera wearer is feeling threatened, they can press a button on the camera and start streaming at 300kbit/s compared to the usual rate of around 3 Mbit/s,” Shukla says.

Digital Barriers claims its technology uses “deep neural networks” to prioritize image compression, maintaining clarity on important details like faces while compressing less relevant areas. Body-worn cameras also often include features like loop recording and accelerometers, which automatically trigger recording if the wearer is knocked down.

The Deterrent Effect and Beyond

Evidence suggests that body-worn cameras can effectively deter retail crime. A whitepaper by body-worn camera manufacturer Reveal indicates significant reductions in violent and aggressive incidents in retail settings where the cameras are deployed while anecdotal evidence also suggests that staff feel safer when wearing them. Unlike traditional CCTV, body-worn cameras capture specific incidents with audio, providing valuable evidence for legal proceedings.

Professor Emmeline Taylor advocates for a multi-faceted approach to retail security, creating a “fortress store” by combining technology with other strategic risk mitigation measures. “There’s growing recognition that by joining forces with law enforcement and with other businesses and the community, retailers can help tackle crime and antisocial behaviour. It’s only by working together that we can create safer places to live, work and shop,” Taylor concludes.

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