Scottish supermarkets more trustworthy with facial recognition than police
Published: 21/09/2026
| Daily Record
Biometrics Commissioner Dr Brian Plastow has called for new CCTV regulations in Scotland after revealing that supermarkets are deploying live facial recognition (LFR) to combat shoplifting, despite the Scottish National Party (SNP) opposing police use of the technology.
Dr Plastow highlighted that both Sainsbury's and Asda have deployed or trialled LFR, while Tesco operates a non-live system. Yet at its autumn 2025 conference, the SNP passed a motion opposing the adoption of LFR by Police Scotland. Dr Plastow questions why commercial surveillance using LFR against shoplifters is acceptable, but use by law enforcement faces political resistance.
The current 2011 CCTV framework is now outdated as it was introduced before the emergence of AI-powered video analytics and LFR.
Dr Plastow said that he would support LFR deployment by Police Scotland to protect vulnerable groups.
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