Retail crime technology company Auror has launched a new facial recognition tool designed to help retailers prevent violence and protect store workers.
The new feature, called Subject Recognition, allows retailers to responsibly integrate their own records of serious repeat offenders with facial recognition technology (FRT). The system is built with strict privacy safeguards, including the immediate deletion of images that do not match a known offender and a requirement for human oversight in all decisions.
Phil Thomson, co-founder and CEO of Auror, said the system was built specifically for crime prevention and safety, not for surveillance.
“We take our role in protecting information and building safeguards for retailers using this tech very seriously.
“Subject Recognition cannot in any way be used for tracking, monitoring or profiling people. Like all of our services, we prohibit retailers from entering sensitive information like ethnicity, race and religion, which is a key safeguard that reduces human bias, improves evidence-based decision-making, and enhances privacy.”
Thomson said the technology provides store teams with early alerts when known high-risk or prolific offenders enter a store.
“Every day we hear more stories of physical abuse, the brandishing of knives and guns, and threats directed to people in retail settings.
“The retail sector is one of the biggest workforces in the world, made up of workers young and old, with the majority being women. This technology is about protecting these vulnerable frontline workers by preventing violent and threatening retail crime incidents from happening in the first place.”
Auror data shows one in ten retail crime incidents involves violence or a weapon, with 10 per cent of repeat offenders responsible for more than 60 per cent of total incidents.
Subject Recognition forms part of Auror’s Risk Detection suite, alongside Vehicle Recognition, and supports the company’s goal to help retailers reduce violent retail crime by 50 per cent within five years.
“Retailers have done a great job surfacing the scale of this issue, and now we’re calling on our partners to take the next step in addressing violent retail crime, together,” Thomson said.
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