Hotel looks at CCTV plan to halt thefts

The security boss of one of Britain's most prestigious hotel chains is considering setting up a "sting" to catch chambermaids suspected of stealing, by using a closed-circuit television in a bedroom.

The security officer would book into the room, posing as a guest, and monitor the suspect's actions from the vacant room next door. This setup would avoid invading guests' privacy.

The security director, who asked not to be named, said the biggest security problem for all large hotel groups was thieving bar staff and chambermaids.

He said: "You clear one lot out and six months later it's happening again."

He added that the jobs were badly paid and that chambermaids were employed by agencies so they had no loyalty to the hotel.

The data protection commissioner's code of practice states that closed-circuit televisions should be used as a deterrent and must be clearly labelled.

A spokesman for human rights organisation Liberty described the ‘sting' idea as "unusually intrusive and fraught with legal problems", and questioned whether it amounted to entrapment.