Shoppers in the Wulfrun Center have had their say about a new, somewhat dystopian security system in one of the mall’s stores.
Photographer Steve and I were captured on the big screen
Shop outlet has installed a camera at the entrance to their store that scans the face of everyone who enters and determines their approximate age and emotion.
Visitors can see a photo of their face, along with a note describing their facial expression.
Shopping outlet in the Wulfrun Center
If someone tries to enter the store after being banned for shoplifting in the past, that will also be shown on the screen.
Store manager Gagan says their high-tech system has completely deterred shoplifters – previously, he said, there were two or three thefts a week.
“It’s been a month since we installed the new camera,” he said. “It’s a security system to stop thieves. My brother is good at installing things like this and he found the screen and camera on Amazon. That’s because there are so many thieves around, especially in this mall. I’m even caught two or three guys who once tried to rob an iron or a few bottles. We installed this solely on the basis of thieves.
Middle age?! Nowadays you can’t trust technology anymore.
“Since we installed it, we have definitely seen less shoplifting. When someone comes in, they see the screen and know they are being recorded – that really helps reduce crime.”
TikTok user @liaminsidetheballer shared a video on the camera TV social media platform and received a huge response, with 256 comments and thousands of shares and likes.
Many users who commented on Liam’s video were against the idea, calling it an “invasion of privacy.”
But shoppers at the Wulfrun Center said the exact opposite.
The majority of them thought it was a great idea as a deterrent to shoplifting and said if you’re not doing anything wrong, why worry about it?
Raj Patel from RS News in Willenhall.
Raj Patel owns RS News in Willenhall. He was all for the idea.
“It deters shoplifters if they know they’re watching you,” the shopkeeper said. “We also had this in our store. If we catch them and find out who did it, they will be banned from the store.
“Once people know you have cameras in the store, they are afraid to do something dodgy.”
David Dodd from Bridgnorth believes there is too much crime and every store should have facial recognition technology.
David Dodd thinks it’s a good thing to help catch criminals.
The 87-year-old said: “I’ve never been in the store before but I think it’s a good idea. It’s a good thing, cameras everywhere.”
I told David about some of the criticism that has arisen around it and how some people don’t like the idea of being ‘filmed all the time’.
“There’s nothing wrong with it,” Dave said straight to the point. ‘I don’t care, that’s how they catch the robbers and the murderers! It’s a good thing.’
Mandy Barber and her grandson, nine-year-old Zachary
Mandy Barber, who was shopping with her daughter and nine-year-old grandson Zachary, agreed it should be seen as a good thing.
The 62-year-old said: “It doesn’t bother me. It’s something that needs to be done so you can keep an eye on customers. Unless you’re doing something wrong, it shouldn’t really invade anyone’s privacy.”
What do you think? Send your thoughts to me at [email protected].