Iceland boss slams law that prevent retailers from WhatsApping shoplifters’ images

Supermarket Iceland chief has condemned data protection laws that prevent retailers from circulating CCTV images of shoplifters caught in the act.

Richard Walker, the executive chairman of the frozen-food chain, is calling on the government to change laws that make it a potential offence to post images of individuals caught stealing on local WhatsApp groups.

He said that he had told employees to post such images from Iceland’s 1,000 UK stores on high street WhatsApp groups, regardless of the law as it stands. Iceland, he said, would “take the rap” if they were prosecuted.

“We are fighting with one hand tied behind our backs,” he recently said in a podcast. “When these images are on your CCTV … it’s absolutely proven. There’s no denying. You watch someone pick something up, put it under their coat or whatever they do, and walk out or become aggressive to store staff if they’re stopped.

“Obviously you’d like to absolutely share those images. I’ve told my colleagues to do it anyway and I take the rap if there’s a problem. It’s a stupid law.”

Walker said he would like the law to be changed to allow such images and videos to be shared, which could help to stop prolific shoplifters. “Let’s use the tools that we’ve got to be able to fight this.”

Guidance issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office says that information such as images that might be used to prevent crime can be shared between retailers only if it is “necessary and proportionate”. The office, which oversees Britain’s data protection laws, said that sharing images of suspected shoplifters via messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, on staff room noticeboards or on shop windows was unlikely to meet that test.

In guidance to retailers, Melissa Mathieson, the ICO’s director of regulatory policies, said, “If neighbouring retailers want to share images between one another, they should consider putting an agreement in place where they all agree to use only secure work devices and activate auto delete settings. Without this, images could end up in personal phones and uploaded to personal cloud back-ups.”