Facewatch begins free beta test of new retail crime platform

Facewatch has begun live beta testing of Facewatch Live, a retail crime intelligence and management platform that will be free for retailers and police.

The platform is being tested in day-to-day use by loss prevention and retail teams in participating stores across the UK. It can be used as a standalone crime reporting system or alongside Facewatch's existing live facial recognition service.

Frasers Group, an existing Facewatch partner, is among the first retailers confirmed for the beta phase. Other retailers are preparing to join as feedback is gathered ahead of a wider rollout.

Facewatch Live is designed to bring incident reports, CCTV, images, witness information and other supporting evidence into one system. This should help retailers track crime within individual stores and across wider estates.

It also links multiple incidents to the same offender profile, helping retailers identify repeat and prolific offending that may be missed when reports are handled separately. Structured case files can then be assembled for submission to participating police forces.

How It Works

Linked incidents and supporting evidence can help police spot patterns of prolific or organised offending that are less visible when incidents are viewed in isolation. Retailers do not need to subscribe to Facewatch's facial recognition product to use the new platform.

For retailers using both services, the combined system can connect incident intelligence with real-time crime prevention at store entrances. Facewatch's facial recognition system is used by more than 125 retail operators in thousands of stores across the UK.

Its retail customers include national chains and independent retailers such as Budgens, B&M, Dunelm, Frasers Group, Flannels, Home Bargains, Sainsbury's and Sports Direct. Facewatch said its live facial recognition system generated 81,988 real-time alerts in September, after 75,567 in August and 64,648 in July.

Facewatch was founded in 2010 as a digital reporting tool for businesses submitting incident reports to police. In 2018, it shifted its focus to crime prevention through live facial recognition.

Retail Focus

Nick Fisher, Chief Executive Officer of Facewatch, said the new platform was shaped with input from existing retail partners. Some retailers see value in using the two systems together, while others may prefer to use only one, he said.

"Live facial recognition has already proved the value of giving retailers accurate, actionable intelligence the moment an offender enters a store. Facewatch Live gives retailers the opportunity to record incidents, see the bigger picture in their own crime data, and build stronger evidence against prolific offenders. Retailers can decide which system best suits their needs, but feedback from current retail partners who have helped build the platform is that the two systems together offer a powerful force against retail crime," Fisher said.

Facewatch said the platform will be made available free to both the retail sector and police, in an effort to widen access to reporting and evidence management tools at a time when retailers continue to report concern over repeat offending and organised theft.

The platform also has the technical option, where specifically agreed for defined policing operations, to share alerts with police for a limited period for the highest-risk and most prolific offenders. Any such use would depend on prior approvals and formal data-sharing arrangements.

"We have taken the decision to make Facewatch Live not just free to police, but also completely free to the retail sector. Retail operators should not have to pay simply to understand what is going on in their own businesses, and the process of reporting crime should not come with a price tag," Fisher said.