• Home
  • News
  • World
  • Politics
  • Money
  • Lifestyle
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Travel
  • More
    • Tech
    • Web Stories
    • Spotlight
    • Press Release
What's On

Kate Middleton’s surprise under-the-radar visit after brave cancer admission

4 July 2025

Student, 19, dies after sudden gust of wind topples tree in freak accident

4 July 2025

9 new things we learned about ‘hard b*****d’ Keir Starmer from Trump to family life

4 July 2025

‘Doctors said I had sciatica, but I read one leaflet and knew the truth’

4 July 2025

Boost Lab Neck Firming Serum review: We tried the £25 neck serum loved by Lisa Snowdon and it outperformed one 5 times the price

4 July 2025

How to watch Palmeiras vs Chelsea for FREE with Club World Cup tie not on UK TV

4 July 2025

Little-known free Disneyland Paris pass lets you skip queues but there’s a catch

4 July 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Trending
  • Kate Middleton’s surprise under-the-radar visit after brave cancer admission
  • Student, 19, dies after sudden gust of wind topples tree in freak accident
  • 9 new things we learned about ‘hard b*****d’ Keir Starmer from Trump to family life
  • ‘Doctors said I had sciatica, but I read one leaflet and knew the truth’
  • Boost Lab Neck Firming Serum review: We tried the £25 neck serum loved by Lisa Snowdon and it outperformed one 5 times the price
  • How to watch Palmeiras vs Chelsea for FREE with Club World Cup tie not on UK TV
  • Little-known free Disneyland Paris pass lets you skip queues but there’s a catch
  • Vicky McClure in huge career change in ‘first time ever’ moment for Line of Duty star
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
England TimesEngland Times
Demo
  • Home
  • News
  • World
  • Politics
  • Money
  • Lifestyle
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Travel
  • More
    • Tech
    • Web Stories
    • Spotlight
    • Press Release
England TimesEngland Times
Home » Facial recognition should be used more to catch thieves and thugs, says Yvette Cooper
Politics

Facial recognition should be used more to catch thieves and thugs, says Yvette Cooper

By staff4 July 2025No Comments4 Mins Read

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said facial recognition is ‘really important for policing’ and said she would be looking at ways to roll it out ‘in a proper framework’

07:28, 04 Jul 2025Updated 07:28, 04 Jul 2025

(Image: Getty Images)

Facial recognition tech should be used more widely to tackle shoplifting and anti-social behaviour, the Home Secretary says.

Yvette Cooper has urged firms to think about tracking prolific shoplifters using a national database. Hundreds of big-name stores, including Boots, Morrisons, M&S and Greggs, capture criminals’ images and details, including their vehicle registrations, on a database named Auror.

The information can be shared with other retailers and police, and used to ban and prosecute thieves. It is estimated that 10% of shoplifters carry out 74% of UK thefts.

Ms Cooper said: “We do want more retailers working together on schemes like this so that we can have partnerships tackling that crime.” She also said the Home Office is investigating ways to get more facial recognition cameras onto high streets.

READ MORE: MPs vote to ban Palestine Action alongside neo-Nazi militias after backlash

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper urged retailers to look at using technology to catch shoplifters
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper urged retailers to look at using technology to catch shoplifters(Image: PA)

And the Home Secretary continued: “Too often people have been working separately in silos, and this sort of crime has been treated as low level.

“It’s not. It has a huge impact on local economies and on that sense of safety at the heart of communities.” At the moment experts believe that just five per cent of shop thefts are reported to police.

Ben McDonald of Morrisons said the Auror software, used by 98% of retailers in New Zealand where it was developed, was a “game-changer”. The database captures images and details about offenders, including vehicle registrations, and allows them to be shared directly between stores and police. This wealth of information can be used to prosecute thieves and ban them from stores after retail crime hit a record level last year.

It is estimated that a prolific 10% of shoplifters are responsible for 74% of thefts in the UK – making identifying them especially important. The company claims that streamlining investigations meant forces in New Zealand have been able to hire more than 450 officers in the past seven years.

Earlier this year Devon and Cornwall became the first force to partner with the software firm. Superintendent Emma Butler-Jones said the network had “revolutionised” the way retail crime is tackled in the area.

Asked whether forces across England and Wales should follow the lead of Croydon in South London and install permanent facial recognition cameras, Ms Cooper this kit is “really important for policing”.

She said: “There’s more scope for using facial recognition more widely, and we’re going to set out more ways in which that can be done in a proper framework. We want more retailers working together on schemes like this.”

Ms Cooper said shoplifting “has a huge impact on local economies and communities”. She has also told police chiefs she wants patrols ramped up in 500 English and Welsh town and city centre trouble spots.

She challenged police commissioners to draw up plans to tackle rising anti-social behaviour over the summer holidays. The blitz will see more targeted work to ban frequent offenders from hotspots.

Ms Cooper has vowed that by August, every neighbourhood will have a named officer who residents will know to contact, and problem areas must be patrolled. Labour has vowed to recruit an additional 13,000 neighbourhood officers by 2029.

Ms Cooper said: “It’s time to turn this round, that’s why I have called on police forces and councils alike to work together to deliver a summer blitz on town centre crime to send a clear message to those people who bring misery to our towns that their crimes will no longer go unpunished.

“The fact that 500 towns have signed up shows the strength of feeling on this issue.”

READ MORE: Join our Mirror politics WhatsApp group to get the latest updates from Westminster

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Tumblr Email

Related News

9 new things we learned about ‘hard b*****d’ Keir Starmer from Trump to family life

4 July 2025

MIKEY SMITH: 7 unhinged Donald Trump moments – his antisemitic slur and White House UFC match

4 July 2025

Jeremy Corbyn says new party is coming – but stops short of Zarah Sultana’s claim

4 July 2025

How Keir Starmer’s Year 2 will look – and what changes he really needs to make

4 July 2025

Rate Labour’s first year in government – take our survey and have your say

4 July 2025

MoD refuses to disclose 1m pages of Nuked Blood information as minister says whole families were harmed

4 July 2025
Latest News

Student, 19, dies after sudden gust of wind topples tree in freak accident

4 July 2025

9 new things we learned about ‘hard b*****d’ Keir Starmer from Trump to family life

4 July 2025

‘Doctors said I had sciatica, but I read one leaflet and knew the truth’

4 July 2025

Boost Lab Neck Firming Serum review: We tried the £25 neck serum loved by Lisa Snowdon and it outperformed one 5 times the price

4 July 2025
Stay In Touch
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Vimeo
Don't Miss
Sports

How to watch Palmeiras vs Chelsea for FREE with Club World Cup tie not on UK TV

By staff4 July 20250

Chelsea have battled their way into the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup where they…

Little-known free Disneyland Paris pass lets you skip queues but there’s a catch

4 July 2025

Vicky McClure in huge career change in ‘first time ever’ moment for Line of Duty star

4 July 2025

‘I’m a flight attendant and there are five clothing items I’d never wear on plane’

4 July 2025
England Times
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
© 2025 England Times. All Rights Reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

Go to mobile version