The boss of Iceland has condemned “stupid” 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 told Woburn Partners’ Lessons in Leadership 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.”

Walker, 44, who introduced Sir Keir Starmer at the launch of Labour’s 2024 election manifesto, having previously sought selection as a Conservative parliamentary candidate, criticised the previous Tory government for its handling of shoplifting. He said it had “sent exactly the wrong signals” when it announced that stealing anything worth less than £200 would not be considered a serious offence and would be dealt with by way of a warning.

Labour has pledged to introduce new laws to crack down on shoplifting by requiring police to investigate even if the goods are worth less than £200. Walker said removing the threshold would “send a real signal” that law enforcement would take the matter seriously.

Assaulting a shop worker has been made a specific criminal offence, something that was welcomed by Walker, who has reported a 60 per cent rise in serious assaults on staff at his stores to 1,000 a year.

Shoplifting hit a record high earlier in 2024, with 50 offences recorded by police every hour in England and Wales, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics reported a 30 per cent increase in shoplifting offences in the year to the end of March, compared with the previous year. There were 43,995 offences, an average of 1,216 a day.

An ICO spokesman said: “Data protection law enables retailers to share images to prevent or detect crime as long as it’s necessary and proportionate in the circumstances.

“Retailers will need to consider the relevant privacy implications such as having a legal reason and appropriate security measures when considering publishing any images of suspected shoplifters.

“Any retailer that is using or sharing information to prevent or detect crime and isn’t sure how to do this in a compliant way, can contact us for advice or find guidance on our website.”