Sainsbury’s set to introduce major change in 150 stores

Sainsbury’s shoppers are being urged to take note of an change set to be rolled out across selected stores in the near future. In a drive to tackle shoplifting and abuse, the supermarket giant is looking to extend its use of facial recognition cameras to as many as 150 additional stores before Christmas.

Following an initial trial, the retailer already has the AI-powered Facewatch system operational in 55 of its stores across the country. According to the Grocery Gazette, staff members are alerted whenever someone previously linked to violence, aggression or theft enters the store. The technology has been effective, with the trial period demonstrating that the smart system deterred nine in ten repeat offenders from returning, while also delivering a significant reduction in theft, harm, aggression and antisocial behaviour across those stores.

The Facewatch technology is described as ‘the only crime prevention tool that proactively identifies known criminals, allowing staff to act before a crime has been committed’, according to its website.

It is also reported to boast a 99.98% accuracy rate, with the company keen to stress that it is not designed to monitor ordinary staff and customers going about their daily business.

Sainsbury’s has confirmed that every alert is reviewed by a real person before any action is taken. As well as this, if a shopper’s image fail to match any records, it is deleted immediately.

However, this comes after an incident earlier this year, during which innocent customer Warren Rajah was wrongly identified and removed from a Sainsbury’s branch in Elephant and Castle.

The retailer then issued an apology, with Facewatch confirming that the customer was not listed on their database, attributing the situation to human error rather than technological failure.

The supermarket stated at the time: “Colleagues should never feel at risk while doing their jobs and customers should always feel comfortable in our stores. That’s why we are taking these steps and why we will continue to put safety first across every part of our business.”

However, Warren described the ordeal as ‘humiliating’, telling the BBC: “Am I supposed to walk around fearful that I might be misidentified as a criminal?”

“Imagine how mentally debilitating this could be to someone vulnerable, after that kind of public humiliation.”

Sainsbury’s isn’t the only retailer using this Facewatch technology in an attempt to combat shoplifting and abuse incidents. Outlets including B&M, Budgens, Morrisons Daily, Sports Direct and Flannels also utilise it, alongside pharmacies as well.