A faster way of receiving CCTV footage of shoplifting has sped up investigations, the Metropolitan Police has said.<\/p>\n
A new reporting platform lets retailers submit CCTV footage, witness statements and other evidence directly to the police moments after a crime is committed. At present officers can wait four weeks or longer to receive them.<\/p>\n
When shoplifting was reported in the six boroughs piloting the technology, 29.4% of cases resulted in a caution, charge or other criminal disposal, compared to 7.3% before the pilot was introduced.<\/p>\n
The British Independent Retail Association welcomed the technology, but added it could be a challenge for smaller businesses that could not afford it.<\/p>\n
The force worked with major retailers in six London boroughs, including Tesco, Boots, Greggs and M&S, for the six-month pilot scheme.<\/p>\n
The technology was first piloted in Bexley, Greenwich, Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, Lewisham, and Westminster.<\/p>\n
It has now been extended to subscribing retailers in Bromley, Croydon, Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Lambeth, Southwark and Sutton.<\/p>\n
Cdr Andy Featherstone said the key to solving shoplifting was evidence that showed the identity of the offender, as well as a statement from the company and a record of the items that had been stolen.<\/p>\n
“Something that may have taken months and months in the past, and sometimes evidence lost along that process, is now able to move in a matter of hours to bring in offenders to justice,” he said.<\/p>\n
Small shops, which also experience shoplifting, say they needed help too.<\/p>\n
Andrew Goodacre, CEO of the British Independent Retail Association, said the technology was “largely good news”.<\/p>\n
“There’s that bit of challenge for independent retailers who don’t have the technology and the resources to maybe deal with this crime in a way that a large Tesco might do.” <\/p>\n
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