Sheng Siong installs face recognition CCTV at 83 outlets to catch shoplifters who re-enter premises

Supermarket chain Sheng Siong will be rolling out a facial recognition CCTV system at all 83 outlets to curb the rising number of shop thefts, CNA reported.

The artificial intelligence-driven technology alerts staff when a suspected shoplifter returns to any branch.

It is deployed in collaboration with the Singapore Police Force (SPF) under its Shop Theft for Retailers (STAR) Programme, an initiative to improve detection and reduce retail crime.

More thefts detected

According to 8World, the system has been installed in over 50 Sheng Siong outlets since April 2024.

After the system was installed, thefts per store rose from 4.91 in 2023 to 8 in 2024.

The increase was attributed to improved detection, Sheng Siong’s 2024 sustainability report noted, according to CNA.

Cold Storage and Sheng Siong saw higher average theft cases per outlet.

Cold Storage’s Ngee Ann City branch recorded 36 cases in the first half of the year, it was also reported.

How system works

Staff would review CCTV footage to confirm theft when stock and inventory discrepancies are detected.

A suspect is identified, and their photograph is uploaded into the system.

Staff would receive mobile alerts through a corporate app once the same person enters any Sheng Siong branch again.

Staff may approach the person and file a police report if they are sure the person has committed shop theft.

In the past, staff members had to manually review CCTV footage to identify suspects.

According to CNA, Sheng Siong CEO Lim Hock Chee told reporters in Mandarin at Sheng Siong's head office on Aug. 22: "We don’t have to keep monitoring. After using this technology, shop theft rates have increased. In the past, because we relied on the human eye, we may have missed out"

Sheng Siong has also been able to identify customers whose payments failed to go through using this system.

The retailer lost about S$10,000 a month from failed transactions alone.

This has been cut to between S$1,200 and S$1,500 monthly, said Lim.

Shop theft trend on the rise

There has been an increasing number of shop theft cases in Singapore, which remains among the most common offences by youths, according to the SPF’s mid-year crime statistics on Aug. 26.

Shop theft cases rose from 2,013 in the first six months last year, to 2,097 over the same six-month period in 2025, marking a 4.2 per cent increase.

Most cases of shop theft involved food, drinks and personal care products worth under S$50.

As of Jun. 30, more than 1,000 retail outlets, such as NTUC FairPrice and Cold Storage, have signed up to adopt similar measures and join the STAR programme.

Top photos via Google Maps