‘We’re watching you from 500 miles away’: CCTV closes in on shoplifters
Outsourcing giant Mitie is supporting the police by using long-distance tech to snare shoplifters
ILLUSTRATION BY PETE BAKER
The Sunday Times
A crime spree is under way at the Reading branch of one of the nation’s biggest supermarkets. A dishevelled, bearded man is strolling along the alcohol aisle, inspecting the contents of the fridges as he goes. He finally spots his target and picks up a beer to stow in his grey tracksuit, swivelling his head to make sure he is not being watched. About 15 minutes later, in an adjacent aisle, a woman wearing a black jacket opts for a beer on a shelf, also scanning her surroundings as she does so.
Despite their best efforts to go unnoticed, both shoplifters are being watched from an industrial estate 300 miles away, just outside Belfast. From its security hub, the outsourcing giant Mitie has caught the
