Retailers across the UK were alerted almost 300,000 times that a known repeat offender had entered one of their stores during the first six months of 2026, adding weight to growing police and industry concerns about the most prolific shoplifters.
Figures compiled from Facewatch’s crime prevention network show 297,433 real-time warnings were issued between January and June, representing the number of times known offenders were positively identified by its live facial recognition technology.
Each alert gave retailers a real-time warning that an individual linked to previous offending had entered a store, creating an opportunity to intervene before theft, abuse or violence could occur or escalate.
June became Facewatch’s busiest month on record with 57,111 alerts, surpassing the previous monthly high set only a month earlier in May (55,462 alerts), reflecting both the continued expansion of Facewatch’s network and the persistent activity of repeat offenders.
The figures come as the Metropolitan Police continues to highlight the disproportionate impact of prolific offenders, saying a relatively small number of individuals are responsible for a significant amount of shoplifting and frequently continue offending despite repeated arrests and prosecutions.
Nick Fisher, CEO of Facewatch, said:
“An alert isn’t a record of a crime that has already happened, it’s a vital opportunity for frontline shop workers to consider a safe response to prevent one.
“Each alert warns that someone known for previous offending has entered their store, allowing critical time to follow their company procedures, increase vigilance and take steps to help prevent a theft or a violent incident.
“As more retailers adopt this technology, we would naturally expect the number of alerts to grow because more stores are able to identify known offenders. But these figures also reinforce what police and the wider industry is saying, that the same prolific offenders are continuing to target stores time and time again.”
Facewatch’s technology, used by more than 125 retailers operating thousands of stores across the UK, has helped deter repeat offending by up to 70% while improving staff safety and morale at a time when there are 1,600 incidents of abuse and violence against shop workers every day, according the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
Retailers using the technology range from national chains to independent retailers, including Budgens, Frasers Group, Flannels, Home Bargains, Sainsbury’s, Sports Direct, and, as retail crime increasingly spreads from more traditional targets, garden centres and charity shops.
He added:
“Technology has an increasingly important role to play, not only in preventing crime before it happens but also in helping retailers manage what comes afterwards.
“That’s why we’re continuing to invest in new capabilities, including a new crime management platform which is designed to simplify how retailers record, manage and progress crime incidents from prevention through to reporting and investigation.”
Facewatch has announced the development of its a Crime Management Platform, extending its crime prevention technology beyond in-store warnings and prevention to help retailers manage incidents and police reporting.
The platform will introduce a UK-first capability to alert police instantly when the most serious offenders trigger a live facial recognition match on entering a participating store, supporting a faster law enforcement response to the most prolific offenders.
