SingaporeRetail and e-commerce2024 – ongoingSheng Siong Group
Face-recognition CCTV for repeat shoplifters under the police STAR programme
Sheng Siong said losses from failed payments fell to S$1,200-1,500 a month after it added face-recognition CCTV
Problem
Shoplifters who had been caught came back to Sheng Siong outlets. Failed payments also cost the supermarket chain about S$10,000 a month.
Approach
Sheng Siong installed AI face-recognition CCTV, first in April 2024, working with the Singapore Police Force under its STAR programme. When a flagged suspect re-enters an outlet, staff get a mobile alert. Staff check footage to confirm theft, may approach the person and can file a police report. In August 2025 the chain was extending the system to all 83 outlets. It also uses the system to flag customers whose payments fail.
Results
Takeaway
Recorded thefts per store rose from 4.91 in 2023 to 8 in 2024. The company attributed the rise to better detection, so the count does not show whether theft itself changed.
Categories
- Industry
- Retail and e-commerce
- Business function
- Production and quality
- Innovation type
- Process innovation
- AI technology
- Computer vision
- Adoption
- Government support program
- Evidence
- Company's own claim
Sources
Source summaries
Mothership reports Sheng Siong's face-recognition CCTV, run with the Singapore Police Force, and its extension to all 83 outlets. The CEO said failed-payment losses fell to S$1,200-1,500 a month. Recorded thefts per store rose from 4.91 to 8, which the company's sustainability report ascribed to better detection.
Full details are in the original sources.
