Woolies plans facial recognition technology trial in two Canberra supermarkets

Woolworths, the supermarket giant, is contemplating a trial of facial recognition technology in two of its Canberra stores, the Woden and Gungahlin locations, to combat violence against its staff members. The technology would be put to the test in an effort to protect team members and customers from repeat violent offenders who frequent the stores.

Sarah Faorlin, Woolworths' head of violence prevention, revealed that the selection of the two Canberra stores was due to their high number of workplace protection orders (WPOs). WPOs are legal orders aimed at preventing and reducing workplace violence, which were first introduced in the ACT in 2016. The supermarket chain has observed a 460% increase in unacceptable incidents in its stores since 2020, and the trial aims to actively monitor for repeat violent and aggressive offenders who visit the stores.

If the trial is successful, the facial recognition technology would scan every customer entering the Woden or Gungahlin stores, creating a temporary biometric profile. This profile would be cross-referenced against a watch list of known violent offenders, and if a match is detected, the customer's biometric profile would be deleted within one second.

If a match is found, staff may call the police, and their presence in the store would be alerted to the team. The ACT Secretary of the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA), Bernie Smith, stated that Woolworths would not call the police every time the system flags a potential threat. Instead, the police would only be called if someone had breached a workplace protection order, which is a criminal offense that requires police enforcement.

Woolworths would maintain transparency throughout the trial and display signage outside the two supermarkets. The trial's success will depend on the consultation process with store teams, and if successful, the technology could be implemented by the end of the month.