Let’s share our images of thieves, says Iceland’s chief

Iceland’s prime minister has called for laws to allow supermarkets to share images of violent shoplifters on local WhatsApp groups.

Richard Walker, who oversees around 1,000 stores in the UK, is among those sounding the alarm about a worrying epidemic of retail crime in Britain.

The trade group’s chief executive has criticised “stupid” data protection laws which prevent shops from sharing footage of people shoplifting taken by their CCTV cameras.

Labour has pledged to crack down on shoplifting and assaults on retail workers, but businesses are awaiting further details.

“We’re fighting with one hand tied behind our back,” Walker told former Rep. Gloria de Piero on her Lessons In Leadership podcast.

He said: “It is actually illegal for us to share images of known criminals on local High Street WhatsApp groups because of data protection laws. I would like to see that change.”

Walker said he was willing to take responsibility if any employees got into trouble for sharing images.

He added: “When these images appear on CCTV it is absolutely clear. You see someone pick something up, put it under their coat or whatever they do and walk away or become aggressive towards the shop staff if they are stopped.”

He said he wanted to share the photographs with other High Street businesses and groups.

“I have told my colleagues to do it anyway and I take responsibility if any problems arise,” he added.

Knives and hammers are often used in violent attacks on staff and occur weekly, he said.

Walker, 44, wants police to take shoplifting more seriously as retailers have complained that officers do not respond when shoplifting offences are reported.

The Information Commissioner’s Office, the data watchdog, warns that images that could be used to prevent crime could only be shared if it was “necessary and proportionate”. But sharing images of suspected shoplifters on social media or physical photographs in shop windows is unlikely to be considered proportionate, it says.

Shoplifting has increased to alarming levels since the pandemic and the cost of living crisis has also been blamed.

The number of shoplifting offences recorded by police rose by 37 per cent to a total of 430,104 in 2023, the highest level since records by the Office for National Statistics began in 2002.