Company says new platform will take evidence-backed crime to the “next level”…
Facial recognition company Facewatch has announced plans to launch a new crime management platform this autumn, including a real-time police alert capability designed to help tackle prolific retail offenders.
The new capability will automatically notify police when a high-risk individual is identified entering a participating store through its live facial recognition system. The company believes it will be the first capability of its kind in the UK.
According to Facewatch, alerts will be generated when the most serious offenders are matched, allowing police to respond while an incident is still unfolding. The feature is intended to support enforcement action against repeat offenders linked to retail crime and violence against shopworkers.
Commenting on the development, Nick Fisher, CEO of Facewatch, said: “To support the wider community and government fight against retail crime, the capability to alert police instantly when serious offenders trigger a live facial recognition match will take evidence-backed crime reporting to the next level.”
Facewatch currently sends more than 50,000 alerts each month to retailers across its UK network when known offenders are identified entering stores. The company states that its facial recognition process achieves 99.98% operational accuracy by checking each match with two algorithms before a final human verification stage confirms the alert.
“The majority of retail crime is carried out by a minority of prolific repeat offenders, an increasing number of which are using weapons to threaten shop workers,” added Fisher.
“We’re calling time on prolific repeat offending with a unique technical development that will warn police within an average of four seconds the moment the worst offenders are matched and flagged on our network.”
The announcement comes in the same week that Sainsbury’s confirmed it will expand its rollout of Facewatch’s live facial recognition technology. Following an initial deployment in 55 stores, the retailer plans to extend the system to a further 150 stores by Christmas.
The new Facewatch Crime Management Platform is due to launch this autumn following testing with existing retail partners.