Sainsbury’s will expand its facial recognition technology to 200 supermarkets before Christmas after reporting strong results from an early trial, despite renewed criticism from privacy campaigners following a wrongful identification incident earlier this year.

The supermarket has already deployed the AI-powered Facewatch system in more than 55 stores, up from two pilot locations last September, and plans to extend it to a further 150 sites.

The technology alerts trained colleagues when someone previously linked to violence, aggression or theft enters a participating store, with Sainsbury’s stating that every alert is reviewed by staff before any action is taken.

According to Sainsbury’s, the trial reduced incidents of theft, harm, aggression and antisocial behaviour by 46 per cent in participating stores, while 92 per cent of identified offenders did not return. The retailer said the system has a 99.98 per cent accuracy rate, images of shoppers who are not matched are deleted immediately, and the technology is not used to monitor ordinary customers or employees.

The expansion follows a February incident reported on by The Telegraph in which shopper Warren Rajah was asked to leave a south London Sainsbury’s after being incorrectly identified. Rajah later described the experience as “Orwellian”, while Sainsbury’s apologised and Facewatch said there had been no technology alert linked to him, attributing the incident to human error rather than the facial recognition system.

Privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch has criticised the rollout, arguing it risks wrongful identification and unnecessary surveillance. Silkie Carlo, the group's director, said: “The mass rollout of live facial recognition across Sainsbury’s stores is a shameful decision that treats customers like suspects, putting millions of law-abiding people at serious risk of privacy intrusions and humiliating false shoplifting accusations.”

Sainsbury’s has defended the technology as part of a broader effort to improve safety for customers and staff as retailers respond to rising shoplifting and abuse.

The company previously said: “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.”

The rollout comes as retailers continue to invest in security measures following a sharp increase in shoplifting across England and Wales since the pandemic. Facewatch's system is already used by retailers including Budgens, Sports Direct, B&M and Home Bargains to identify individuals previously linked to criminal or violent behaviour in participating stores.

---