Asda is trialling Live Facial Recognition technology at five stores in Greater Manchester, in its latest attempt to cut down on retail crime.

The pilot will see new technology integrated into Asda’s existing CCTV network. It works by scanning facial images and comparing the results to a list of known individuals who have previously engaged in criminal activity on an Asda site.

If a match is found by the automated system, in a process that takes seconds, a member of the Asda head office security team will be able to conduct a remote check and provide feedback to the store in real time.

The two-month trial will be launched at the supermarket giant’s stores at Ashton, Chadderton, Eastlands, Harpurhey and Trafford Park.

The new initiative comes at a time when retailers are facing an epidemic of retail crime. According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) there are more than 2,000 incidents of violence and abuse against shopworkers every day – a threefold increase since 2020.

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Asda reported that last year it recorded 1,400 assaults on colleagues, an average of 4 a day.

“The rise in shoplifting and threats and violence against shopworkers in recent years is unacceptable and as a responsible retailer we have to look at all options to reduce the number of offences committed in our stores and protect our colleagues,”  said Asda non-food and retail chief commercial officer Liz Evans.

“We consistently look for new ways to improve the security in our stores and this trial will help us understand if facial recognition technology can reduce the number of incidents and provide greater protection to everybody in our stores.”

Asda is not the first retailer to evaluate a facial recognition system. In 2020, Co-op debuted the use of facial recognition for 18-age verification, however last year Co-op food managing director Matt Hood has said the convenience retailer will not partake in using facial recognition or removing self-service checkouts to tackle the rise of retail crime.

Other retailers have also launched initiatives to help tackle shoplifting including Tesco, which launched a new 24-hour, 365 day-manned security hub, marking the latest step in its crackdown on rising retail crime.