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Adoption of the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice is a good place to start with regards to Operating Responsibly as Fraser explains in more detail. Facewatch endorses this and is recognised for operating above and beyond the requirements of UKGDPR but Nick wants to take this even further.
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Fraser explains that establishing clearly defined standards of ethical behaviour would enable businesses to either compete or be a barrier to entry for those that choose not to be ethical. Nick suggests in future it should be the operators of the technology that are accredited, more so than the technology itself.
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Fraser and Nick agree that businesses bringing facial recognition to market need to demonstrate that they take peoples concerns very seriously regarding how their data might be used. Behaving responsibly, transparently and through inviting questions is an imperative if such concerns are to be assuaged and trust established.
John Perkins, Store Manager of Budgens Buckingham Park would absolutely recommend Facewatch.
In a video testimonial, John describes how quickly an impact was seen and how the efficacy of the Facewatch system improves further when more retailers are using it.
John speaks about how Facewatch has changed the way that store staff deal with incidents in their shop – rather than having to be reactive, Facewatch allows John and his team to be proactive and prevent crime before it even takes place.
“It’s better to stop someone picking up the stock than it is to try and retrieve it off them.”
Facewatch was installed at Budgens Buckingham Park 2 years ago and John has noticed a real reduction in crime.
“I would say that the overall level of theft and disruption in the store has decreased significantly”.
Once an offender is uploaded to the system, the unique Facewatch software recognises any returning offender and instantly sends an alert to the store via the Facewatch mobile app. Store staff are then able to deal with the situation and prevent any further incidents. The offender’s profile is also securely shared with other Facewatch users in the same vicinity, ensuring that other local retailers are equipped with the information required to prevent a crime from happening.
In addition to a decrease in crime within his shop and how incredibly easy it is for his employers to use Facewatch, John added that it doesn’t take long to see a return on investment.
John went even further in his praise for the system, by adding “I don’t see why people wouldn’t want it.”
Facewatch is currently installing systems daily across the UK and stores interested in the system should contact our team immediately to secure their installation date.
Contact us now to find out more and book your FREE demo
0207 930 3225
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Nick & Fraser discuss the requirements and benefits of aggregating data from multiple sources to solve more crime and the challenges of establishing public trust.
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In the first of seven interviews with Fraser Sampson the UK’s Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner hosted by Nick Fisher CEO of Facewatch, Fraser explains his statutory roles as Commissioner and suggests holding users accountable for deciding when to use facial recognition and new technology as opposed to demonising or banning it, is the way forward.
We recently met with Nisa Local Bow Road to gather some feedback on how Facewatch has affected their business. Facewatch was installed to the store in March 2021 to help the store staff fight crime.
We spoke with Chirag Patel, the store manager, who reported that Facewatch has had a really positive impact on the business.
In a video testimonial Chirag says that, ‘It has made a massive improvement… Our crime levels have dropped drastically’
Chirag explains that before installing Facewatch, they were struggling to manage crime. Their CCTV system was not enough to deter the crime and they were looking to use a more proactive tool.
Facewatch uses revolutionary Facial Recognition technology to watch out for shoplifters and other local offenders. When an offender enters the premises, their face is instantly recognised and an alert is generated.
This means that store staff can prioritise more important operational tasks like serving customers or stocking shelves safe with the knowledge that Facewatch is protecting the store.
Since using the system, Chirag and his staff have been able to keep on top of the store crime and drastically reduce the levels of crime in store.
‘The customers love that we have it, because it make them feel safe when in our premises’
In addition to the store staff loving the system, the reception with customers has also been great.
Having an effective solution to deter crime helps to create a safer working environment.
Facewatch is currently installing systems daily across the UK and stores interested in the system should contact our team immediately to secure their installation date.
0207 930 3225
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Eat 17’s family run SPAR in Hackney has become a strong advocate of Facewatch.
Following a successful trial at their Walthamstow store last year, the system was installed at the Hackney store 5 months ago to combat store crime. It immediately made an impact.
Once the repeat offenders are uploaded to the system, Facewatch’s unique software is able to recognize the returning offenders and instantly warn the store staff by sending an alert via the Facewatch mobile app.
By receiving the alert, store staff then have the information required to safely deal with the situation and prevent any further incidents.
In a video testimonial Emmanuelle Jardin, The Store Manager, says that, ‘Since installing Facewatch in our store, we saved I reckon, a few thousand pounds a week.’
As well as reducing the stock loss and saving money, the system also has a positive impact by creating a safer working environment for the colleagues in the store. Knowing that the system is watching out for offenders, it gives them peace of mind to go about their jobs without being worried for their safety.
‘Having the backup of the system, does make us feel more confident and safer.’
Emmanuelle also goes on to explain how the system automatically shares data with the local community, allowing local businesses to work together to combat crime.
Facewatch is currently installing systems daily across the UK and stores interested in the system should contact our team immediately to secure their installation date.
0207 930 3225
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Appleby Westward, the successful convenience store wholesaler in the South and West of the UK, has become a firm supporter of Facewatch and has installed the facial recognition system in their own stores. They will be promoting the system to their independent retailers with a view for them to all install the shoplifting and anti-social behaviour deterrent.
In March 2021, this company trialled Facewatch for 90 days in 2 of their company owned stores based in Portsmouth. After just 45 days the system had been so effective that they decided to end the trial early and sign up for a paying contract.
In a video testimonial Martin Sanger, one of the groups area managers, says that, ‘It became clear that the effectiveness of the system in deterring store crime had saved the company thousands in shrinkage’ .
Since the opening up of retail following the pandemic there has been a surge of interest by convenience store owners to find ways to deter habitual thieves and reduce bad behaviour and abuse from some customers. Martin mentions this in his video interview and it seems that this challenge is across the whole UK. Today the focus for convenience stores, in particular, is to improve the working conditions of employees after a very tough 2020 when managing restrictions became a new and important priority which led to more theft. Facewatch provides a low cost and effective way to deter the worst offenders without any negative effect on the retail experience.
Facewatch is currently installing systems daily across the UK and stores interested in the system should contact our team immediately to secure their installation date.
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Retail owners and managers are facing continuing and growing challenges with increasing losses due to theft and the need to provide a safe working environment for their customer-facing employees.
Public opinion is supportive of new technology to help with these challenges and retailers are becoming confident that solutions such as Facewatch are acceptable to their customers and front-line employees are keen to work in retailers where it is used.
Dave Sumner, our DPO, explains the 4-year journey that the company has taken to ensure that Facewatch became the leader in facial recognition.
I am a Certified Data Protection Officer and Certified Security Management Professional. Before I joined Facewatch over four years ago I enjoyed a 31 year career in the police. My career was varied and interesting with roles including Head of Criminal Justice, Director of Intelligence, and NATO’s Chief Advisor on Police Intelligence to the Afghan Home Secretary. All these roles involved handling sensitive information in order to achieve the objective of protecting people by preventing and detecting crime and bringing criminals to justice. They also had another thing in common – the objective had to be achieved within the boundaries of a legal and ethical framework. I had one simple personal rule that guided me throughout. I wanted to be able to sleep at night with a clear conscience, knowing I had done all I could and that my actions would withstand scrutiny in both the courts of the land and the court of public opinion.
It is for these reasons that I was recruited by Facewatch CEO Nick Fisher and Chairman Simon Gordon. They both saw the pressing need of business owners to protect their staff and property from criminal activity and that their Facewatch Facial Recognition System was the solution. They also recognised it was essential that the system operated in a way that complies with the law (the Data Protection Act) and that could withstand scrutiny by regulatory bodies ( the Information Commissioner’s Office and the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner). Together we have built a facial recognition system that does just that.
We live in a world of individual rights, some of which are enshrined in law and some of which are expected by the public’s sense of natural justice and fairness. Business owners don’t want to offend either but also have to trade in a challenging environment where criminal activity takes away their profit and harms their staff and customers. This is why I also point to the right of business owners to protect their property, staff and customers from this criminality. This right is also enshrined in law and the public’s sense of natural justice and fairness.
The Facewatch system has been designed to ensure that Facewatch and their clients meet the requirements of the law. Our operation has been inspected and assessed by the Information Commissioner’s Office and fully briefed to the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner. MORI Polling shows the majority of the public sampled to be in favour of facial recognition as a tool to prevent crime. Our clients can therefore rest assured that their use of Facewatch will withstand scrutiny in both the courts of the land and the court of public opinion.
Facewatch welcomes the ICO Opinion on how Live Facial Recognition can be lawfully used in public spaces, including the retail environment. The Opinion provides much need clarity on how LFR can be lawfully used to prevent crime.
I am delighted to say that the announcement confirms our comprehensive data protection measures fully meet the requirements of the Opinion by both Facewatch and our clients.
In future blogs I will describe how the Facewatch System works in a legal and ethical way starting with Subjects of Interest, the people that businesses want to protect themselves from. In the meantime I continue to work to help business protect themselves by ensuring the legal compliance of Facewatch.
And yes, I still sleep well.
