Store sets up gallery of light-fingered on web

A Palmerston North supermarket is putting names and faces to shoplifters on a website for other shopkeepers.

The site Shared Faces has been set up by Pioneer New World supermarket owner Darrin Wong and security manager Scott Newland.

The website is closed to anyone who is not a retailer or from a security company, and has been designed to allay the concerns of civil liberty groups.

Mr Newland, who owns the website, said he had worked closely with several lawyers to make sure there would not be any legal or security problems.

Any alleged shoplifter who had been caught with evidence and where police has been called, could be added to the site.

It was not necessary that the people featured had been convicted of theft.

"It has a photo of the person, their name, age, height, a description of anything else about them, as well as how much they stole, where and when," said Mr Newland.

Mr Wong said the website had been established with limited access to it because "other businesses have tried putting photos in the window or bounced cheques and they have run into legal trouble".

Shoplifting was a huge issue for supermarkets and many other retailers, he said.

"Statistically, I lose about $500,000 a year. Supermarkets are often seen as an easy target."

Mr Newland said the supermarket lost the equivalent of 30 trolleys of groceries a week.

He is looking for more retailers to join the scheme and has already had inquiries from Australia.

- NZPA