Teenagers have been identified as the worst threat to supermarkets, a report into facial recognition systems by Foodstuffs South Island finds.

Foodstuffs South Island’s Privacy Impact Assessment report shows that six out of 10 of the top offenders across its network of stores were under 18.

The company has been trialling facial recognition technology (FRT) at three of its supermarkets, Pak’nSave Papanui, New World St Martins and Pak’nSave Moorhouse. The trial began in late October and would last for three months.

The trial aims to assess the effectiveness of FRT in early identification of repeat offenders, thereby mitigating the risk of further serious, threatening behaviour. 

Despite the majority of top offenders being teenagers, the retailer said no minors or vulnerable people are included in the watchlist during the project.

“Excluding minors does not reduce the usefulness of the trial,” a Foodstuffs spokesperson told Radio NZ.

“Its purpose is to assess whether facial recognition technology can help our teams identify adult repeat offenders who have previously been involved in serious incidents, so they can step in early to prevent further harm. The trial is also helping us understand the operational impacts and processes involved with using facial recognition in our stores.”

Foodstuffs South Island said it had recorded nearly 25,000 criminal offences between 2020 and the end of 2024. A substantial proportion of these offences (77 per cent) were committed by repeat offenders.

Over the past year, the retailer identified 206 individuals who repeatedly engaged in serious threatening behaviour across 38 stores in 32 suburbs, resulting in more than 1000 recorded incidents. 

The company has implemented measures such as enhanced security, in-store training, body camera technology, and licence plate recognition, but the incidence of threatening behaviour (including by repeat offenders) has continued to rise.

The FRT trial is the firm’s latest response to the issue. The system being tested comprises the Imagus FRT software from Vix Vizion and the Auror platform from Auror Limited.

Each FRT trial store will have dedicated FRT-enabled cameras that capture facial images of every person who enters the store. Each facial image will be assigned a biometric template, which is matched in real time against a centrally managed ‘Watchlist’ of identified extreme and high-risk offenders.

According to the retailer, any personal information held in the FRT system will be subject to strict access controls. Such information will only be disclosed to the individual(s) concerned upon request by them, or where disclosure is required by law.