Sainsbury's
Facewatch facial recognition, supplied by Facewatch
OperationalJournalismPAI-9C721353
- Body
- Sainsbury's
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Technology
- Facewatch facial recognition
- Supplier
- Facewatch
- Status
- Operational
In routine use by the named body, on the evidence of a public source. - Stage
- In use now
- Since
- 2025
- Legal basis
- Not stated in the source
- Oversight
- Not stated in the source
- Evidence
- Journalism
Named reporting by a reputable outlet - Source
- Retail Gazette, 1 July 2026
- Last checked
- Record code
PAI-9C721353
Notes
Private retail use, not police use. Sainsbury's trialled Facewatch at Sydenham and Bath Oldfield Park and had it live in 55 stores by July 2026, with plans for up to 150 more before Christmas 2026. It paused use at one store on 17 August 2026 after a customer was falsely accused of shoplifting. From July 2026 Facewatch's Crime Management Platform began alerting police automatically to repeat-offender matches across more than 125 retailers.