Bunnings has this week switched on facial recognition technology (FRT) at its first New Zealand stores – Te Rapa and Hamilton South – marking the start of a phased rollout to improve safety for team members and customers.
The move, announced last month, will help protect their team members and customers, and reduce serious harm and high-value theft by repeat offenders.
Bunnings New Zealand General Manager, Melissa Haines said this was an important development for Bunnings team and customers.
Threatening incidents in Bunnings’ New Zealand stores have more than doubled over four years, from 303 to 697, and repeat offenders now account for 34 per cent of all threatening incidents, up from 26 per cent in 2022. This is the problem FRT is designed to address.
In the past year, 140,000 retail crime incidents were reported, costing $2.6b to retail sector and there was 85 per cent increase in retail crime between 2019 and 2023.
“Our number one priority is keeping our team and customers safe. FRT is an additional tool that helps us address the rising problem of violent, threatening and abusive behaviour and high value theft, identify serious repeat offenders and act early to prevent incidents,” Haines said.
FRT will complement existing safety initiatives such as team member training, security guards, body-worn cameras and serious incident response processes.
The rollout is being introduced in phases to ensure the right safeguards, privacy settings and processes are in place, and it follows a thorough assessment process.
Bunnings has engaged with team, customers, and worked with the community- including Māori digital sovereignty expert, to inform its approach, with a focus on responsible use, safety and transparency. Community engagement, including with Māori communities, will be ongoing during the phased rollout.
Independent research has found strong public support for the technology. Nine in 10 respondents (93%) said they supported FRT if it improved safety by more than 10 per cent, while fewer than one in ten (7%) opposed it. Support is strongest when people understand how FRT works and the safeguards in place.
