Starmer pushes for the introduction of police-linked CCTV across the UK
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for the rollout of technology enabling real-time sharing of retail CCTV footage with police forces nationwide, as part of a broader crackdown on shoplifting and retail crime.
Speaking at the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) annual delegate meeting on Monday (27 April), Starmer highlighted the daily challenges faced by shopworkers, including verbal abuse, assaults, and the impact of persistent theft on their livelihoods and mental health.
He referenced a letter from USDAW rep Finnola, a supermarket worker who shared her experience of racist abuse and threats from a customer, and stressed the government’s commitment to protecting retail staff through measures like the Employment Rights Bill.
Turning the tide
Starmer pointed to recent statistics showing shop theft slightly down and the number of people charged up by 17% in the latest figures. “The tide could be turning,” he said, but emphasised that more action is needed.
Key elements of the government’s approach include:
- Reforming policing to prioritise street and neighbourhood policing, with an additional 3,000 neighbourhood officers already on the streets.
- Scrapping the previous £200 threshold rule that limited investigations into lower-value thefts, described by Starmer as a “shoplifters’ charter.”
- Introducing specific offences for the abuse and assault of retail workers, giving them protections equivalent to emergency services workers.
- Tougher punishments and stronger police powers.
The Prime Minister highlighted successful trials where police and retailers use technology to share CCTV footage immediately.
This eliminates delays and the risk of footage being wiped, allowing faster identification of offenders and stronger evidence for prosecutions.
“In some of those areas where those trials are taking place, the police are solving double the number of shop thefts – double,” Starmer told delegates. “So I want to see that rolled out across the country.”
Ministers are now examining how to expand this “police-linked” CCTV approach nationwide.
It builds on ongoing work around facial recognition and biometrics, aiming to disrupt organised retail crime gangs and provide quicker justice for shopworkers.
The announcement comes amid ongoing concerns about retail crime affecting high streets and workers.
USDAW has long campaigned on the issue through its Freedom From Fear campaign. Starmer framed the initiative as part of a wider effort to deliver security for working people, alongside economic measures like energy bill caps and wage increases.
Retail industry groups and police forces have welcomed trials of real-time CCTV sharing, noting improved response times and detection rates.
Critics may raise privacy and data protection concerns, though the government has signalled it will work within existing frameworks while expanding capabilities.
