Asda chair Allan Leighton defends facial recognition trial

Asda boss Allan Leighton has defended the supermarket’s use of facial recognition in its stores to combat retail crime, saying protecting staff was a top priority.

The retailer is halfway through its trial of the technology, which is being tested in five of its stores in Greater Manchester and compares scanned facial images to a list of known individuals who have previously engaged in criminal activity at one of it’s sites.

Asda came under fire from privacy campaigning organisation Big Brother Watch over privacy concerns, which described it as “Orwellian” and “dangerous” over its use of customers’ biometric data.

While Leighton acknowledged the controversy around the trial, he said his “number one priority is to make my colleagues safe”.

“We have on an average four or five assaults on our colleagues every day, and that is unacceptable. We will do whatever we need to do, within the law, that enables that number to come down,” said Leighton.

“Our number one task is to look after our people, and we will do that whatever. That is what that is all about, and it’s completely in line with any of the rules and regulations.

“It’s a trial, it is still on trial, we will review it at the end of the trial. It’s only in five stores. But be very clear, we will do whatever we need to do to make sure that our colleagues are safe,” he added.

Leighton’s comments come as Asda reported “green shoots” of recovery in its performance. First quarter sales excluding fuel fell 5.9% to £5bn in the four months to 31 March. On a like-for-like basis, trading declined 3.1% – representing a 1.1% improvement compared to the final quarter of last year.

Earlier this week, The Times reported that the retailer has scrapped its plan to install driver-facing cameras in its home delivery vans following privacy concerns.

Asda said it put the proposal on hold as it concentrated efforts to revive its grocery business.

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