Londis in Coxheath Name and Shame Shoplifters

Londis in Coxheath, Maidstone defends 'name and shame' policy that exposes pictures and names of alleged shoplifters.

10:27 23 December 2019

Staff at Londis on Heath Road in Coxheath has defended the store’s policy of posting CCTV images and names of people they caught shoplifting. The images, which are accompanied by written images such as ‘I am a thief’, are posted on the exterior of the store’s premises.

 

An employee, who asked not to be named, said: "Anybody who takes our goods without permission is a thief. They have no right to remove them.

 

"Are we supposed to just let them carry on thieving?

 

"The police likely won't do anything if the losses are less than £100, but for a shop like us that might be half a day's takings."

 

According to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the disclosure of information from surveillance system must be controlled and consistent with the purposes for which the system was established. It added that the data can be pass on to a law enforcement agency but “would not be appropriate to place them on the internet in most situations.”

 

A spokeswoman for the chain said: "All Londis stores are independently owned and operated, therefore we do not have any managerial control including compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and associated procedures."