Met Police roll out facial recognition technology to tackle London’s worst shoplifters
Britain’s biggest police force is using facial recognition technology to tackle London’s worst shoplifters by matching CCTV stills to mugshots.
The Metropolitan Police said 149 suspects were identified within days after asking the capital’s 12 leading retailers last month for images of their 30 most prolific unidentified offenders.
Some of the suspects have links to serious crime, while all of them have previously been arrested for crimes including drug dealing, sexual offences, burglary, violence and possession of firearms, according to the force.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley called the results “game-changing” as his force tries to crack down on shoplifting, with its rise blamed on the cost of living crisis and organised crime.
The government has come under increasing pressure from retailers to get a grip on the retail crime responsible for the loss of an estimated £1.9 billion in revenue in the UK each year.
Policing minister Chris Philp earlier this month suggested passport photos could be integrated into the police database to find a CCTV match.
Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley. File pic
The Met said its facial recognition technology can match features against police mugshots in around a minute and that officers will now work with stores to build a case against the suspects identified from 302 CCTV stills and track them down.
Sir Mark said: “We’re working with shops across the capital to target and track down criminals in a way we never have before.
“We’re pushing the boundaries and using innovation and technology to rapidly identify criminals.
“The results we’ve seen so far are game-changing. The use of facial recognition in this way could revolutionise how we investigate and solve crime.”
The Met said one in 10 Londoners works in retail with more than 1,000 cases of abuse and violence reported against staff every year.
Sir Mark said the use of facial recognition technology has shown most of the suspects are career criminals involved in serious crime.
“Through this tactic we’re not only improving how we protect shops and support the business community, we’re stepping further forward in identifying and tracking down serious criminals and protecting all of London’s communities,” he said.
“The scale of business crime in London is huge. To be successful we have to be precise in our approach and this is a really promising step forward.”
Read more: Home Office eyeing expansion of ‘Orwellian’ facial recognition
The Met started using the software in August and began the retail pilot in late September.
The force says the facial recognition algorithm has been independently tested through the National Physical Laboratory with an assurance it’s 100% accurate when used retrospectively.
A threat to privacy
But Emmanuelle Andrews, from human rights charity Liberty said facial recognition technology “has no place on our streets, in our shops – or in any other areas of our lives”.
She added: “This technology threatens our privacy and stifles free speech – and we should all be worried about moves to expand its reach.
“We’re also concerned about the creep of facial recognition technology into other areas of policing.
“Let’s be clear: we cannot rely on tech to solve deep societal problems, this is an unjustified expansion of state surveillance and there are numerous alternatives.”
Around 50,000 shoplifting incidents were reported to the Met last year, estimated to be between 5% and 10% of the offences that are actually committed.
UK
Man jailed for more than three years for loading illegal streaming services on to Amazon Fire Sticks
A 29-year-old man has been jailed for more than three years for loading illicit TV streaming services onto Amazon Fire Sticks.
Jonathan Edge, from Liverpool, pleaded guilty to three offences under the Fraud Act.
He was sentenced to three years and four months in prison, which included a separate concurrent sentence of two years and three months for accessing and viewing the content he was supplying.
Edge ran a service uploading illegal services to Fire Stick devices in return for cash-in-hand payments at his home, Liverpool Crown Court heard.
He used Facebook advertising and word-of-mouth recommendations to run his operation.
He ignored multiple warnings about the illegal activity, which were referenced by the judge and treated as an aggravating factor in sentencing.
The prosecution was undertaken by the Premier League and supported by several other organisations, including FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft) and Merseyside Police.
Kevin Plumb, Premier League general counsel, said: “The significant sentence handed down to the individual involved once again serves to highlight the severity of his actions.
“We will continue to pursue legal action against those supplying unauthorised access to Premier League football, regardless of the scale or mode of operation. Ignoring warnings to stop only served to make the consequences worse for the individual.”
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Detective Sergeant Steve Frame from Merseyside Police said: “Merseyside Police is committed to working in collaboration to investigate intellectual property theft and we welcome today’s sentence handed to Edge.
“Many people see no harm in illegally streaming TV services but they are wrong, and this outcome should serve as a further warning how seriously such copyright theft continues to be taken.”
UK
Magic Circle on the hunt for first female member who tricked her way into society – to apologise to her
The Magic Circle is on the hunt for its first female member – who deceived the group by disguising herself as a man to enter its ranks – so it can apologise to her.
Sophie Lloyd hid her true identity from the famous society of magicians for 18 months.
Dressing up as a young man, Ms Lloyd fooled both the examiners and the Circle’s council and even went out for a drink with them.
However, she was expelled when the deception was revealed and the group hasn’t heard from her since.
At the time Ms Lloyd joined, women weren’t allowed to join the Circle. But when the rules changed in October 1991, Ms Lloyd revealed her true identity and was promptly kicked out for deceiving the society.
But now the group is trying to track her down, so it can apologise.
President of the Magic Circle Marvin Berglas told Sky News: “Times have changed.
“Back in the day she caused the ultimate deception of fooling the magicians and the council which is quite something.
“We’re trying to welcome Sophie back because it’s such a great story.”
He added: “Being that she was such a pioneer we would love to find her, get her side of the story and honour her.”
President of the Magic Circle Marvin Berglas
Mr Berglas said magic wasn’t “an old boy’s club” anymore and that around 5% of its members were women.
It’s thought Ms Lloyd had been an actress, and her name might have been Sue Lloyd, he added.
It’s possible Ms Lloyd received training from magician Jenny Winstanley, who had wanted to be the first woman in the Magic Circle, but was, Mr Berglas said, likely too well known to enter in disguise.
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Ms Lloyd in disguise (left) and her true self (right). Pic: David Sillitoe/The Guardian/eyevine
Mr Berglas continued: “We know she was in the Coventry, Warwickshire, Leamington Spa area.
“We would like to apologise for our faux pas.”
Actor Timothy West has died peacefully in his sleep aged 90, “with his friends and family at the end”.
He was known for many roles in television and the theatre, including popular soaps Coronation Street and EastEnders.
Husband to 92-year-old Prunella Scales – who played Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers – the pair travelled together on UK and overseas canals in the Channel 4 series Great Canal Journeys.
His children Juliet, Samuel and Joseph West, said in a statement issued by his agent: “After a long and extraordinary life on and off the stage, our darling father Timothy West died peacefully in his sleep yesterday evening. He was 90 years old.
“Tim was with friends and family at the end. He leaves his wife Prunella Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years, a sister, a daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. All of us will miss him terribly.
“We would like to thank the incredible NHS staff at St George’s Hospital, Tooting and at Avery Wandsworth for their loving care during his last days.”
West with his wife, Prunella Scales. Pic: Geoff Pugh/Shutterstock
He was the winner of an RTS television award for his lead role in Churchill And The Generals, released in 1979, according to imdb.com.
In his career, he played Winston Churchill three times, including in The Last Bastion (1984) and in Hiroshima (1995).
West was also nominated for best actor in the 1976 BAFTAs for his part as Edward VII in the historical drama.
Four years later, he was nominated in the same category for a number of roles, including as best actor in Crime And Punishment.
West (right) in BBC drama, Last Tango In Halifax. Pic: PA
After a small part as Eric Babbage in Coronation Street in 2013, West appeared in 2014 for the first time as Stan Carter in EastEnders.
He also held other popular TV roles, such as in BBC comedy-drama Last Tango In Halifax.
West as King Lear during a 2003 English Touring Theatre production of William Shakespeare’s tragedy. Pic: PA
In the long-running BBC comedy, Not Going Out, he played Geoffrey, the father of Lucy Adams, played by Sally Bretton.
In comedy-drama Brass, he was the ruthless self-made businessman Bradley Hardacre, playing the role from 1982 to 1984 before returning for a third series in 1990.
In 2019, the Bradford-born actor played Private Godfrey in Dad’s Army: The Lost Episodes, a recreation of three missing episodes of the BBC comedy Dad’s Army.
He was also a regular performer of Shakespeare, playing Lear in 2016 and 2002.
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