Cotswolds Designer Outlet is marking its first anniversary by inviting anyone born between July 13 and July 19 of any year to visit the centre and collect a free birthday gift.

Adrian Field, centre manager at Cotswolds Designer Outlet, said: “We wanted to mark our first birthday in a way that felt fun, memorable and, most importantly, involved the community that has supported us throughout our first year.

“We know there must be hundreds of people across the region who share our birthday week, so we’re inviting them to come and celebrate with us.

“Whether you’re turning one or one hundred, we’d love to welcome you and help make your birthday even more special.”

Visitors are encouraged to bring ID such as a passport, driving licence, or birth certificate to claim their gift.

The birthday celebrations include lots of free activities, entertainment and exclusive anniversary offers from big-name brands and local favourites.

While supplies last, all ‘birthday twins’ will receive a free birthday gift to mark the occasion.

Further details about the anniversary events are available at cotswoldsdesigneroutlet.com.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Facewatch will launch a retail crime management platform this autumn that includes a real-time police alert feature for high-risk offenders entering shops. It describes the system as the first of its kind in the UK.

After testing with existing retail partners, the platform will combine live facial recognition, incident reporting, case management and evidence workflows for police use in a single system.

The new police alert function will send an instant notification when live facial recognition matches a person categorised as a serious offender as they enter a protected store. The aim is to let officers respond while an incident is taking place, rather than after a report has been filed.

The launch comes as retailers continue to report high levels of theft, abuse and violence against shop workers. Facewatch linked it to changes under the Crime and Policing Act 2026, which introduced stronger protections for retail staff and removed the previous £200 threshold for low-value shop theft.

Originally founded as a digital reporting tool for businesses sending incident reports to police, Facewatch later shifted its focus to live facial recognition in retail settings. The latest launch brings those strands together, combining prevention, reporting and evidence handling in one product.

Its network currently sends more than 50,000 positive alerts a month to thousands of stores across the UK when a known offender is detected on the premises, according to the company. Facewatch said the system generated more than 500,000 real-time alerts in 2025 and reached a record 55,462 positive alerts in May 2026.

Facewatch said its alerting process checks each match with two algorithms before a human verification stage, producing 99.98% operational accuracy before an alert is sent to a retailer. It added that the new police warning system would notify officers within an average of four seconds when the most serious offenders are identified on its network.

Police Response

Nick Fisher, Chief Executive Officer of Facewatch, said retailers had asked for a single system for shop floor staff, loss prevention teams and police forces.

“The Facewatch Crime Management Platform combines world-class algorithm accuracy with an easy-to-use reporting system, enabling retailers to record incidents, analyse data and generate evidence-led reports. Retailers have told us they want one trusted platform that supports shop floor colleagues, loss prevention teams and the police, and that’s what we’re building. 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,” Fisher said.

He said the system was intended to address repeat offending, which he described as a major driver of theft and violence in stores.

“The majority of retail crime is carried out by a minority of prolific repeat offenders, an increasing number of whom are using weapons to threaten shop workers. 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,” Fisher said.

Data Control

A central part of Facewatch’s pitch to retailers is its role as data controller across its network. The company said this structure allows it to take responsibility for processing personal and special category biometric data, rather than leaving those obligations with individual retail customers.

The arrangement also allows the business to share alerts across its retailer network when it judges that sharing to be proportionate. Facewatch argued that aggregated intelligence extends the system’s reach because offenders identified at one store can trigger warnings elsewhere in the network.

Fisher used the launch to warn retailers against taking direct responsibility for biometric data processing without fully assessing the legal and operational implications.

“Retailers should carefully assess the decision and risk of processing special category biometric data. The decision to do so means taking on serious legal liability, losing the benefit and protection of aggregated data intelligence, and managing complex data rights and obligations in-house. A software vendor may tell you these things aren’t important, but it’s not them that will have to deal with the fallout,” Fisher said.

He added that retailers acting as their own data controllers would receive fewer alerts than those connected to Facewatch’s wider network.

“Retailers who take on the role of data controller are significantly disadvantaged by missing out on more than half of all alerts generated as a result of incidents in other stores,” Fisher said.

Facewatch said it now works with more than 125 retailers operating thousands of stores in the UK. Its clients include national chains and independent businesses such as Budgens, Frasers Group, Flannels, Home Bargains, Sainsbury’s and Sports Direct, as well as garden centres and charity shops.

It also said it has formal data-sharing arrangements with police forces when supporting investigations. The new platform will sit within the company’s broader governance structure, which includes ISO/IEC 42001 certification for its artificial intelligence management system.

NCC Group has been recognised under The Cyber Scheme Accredited Company Programme, which links company accreditation to workforce standards aligned with the UK Cyber Security Council’s Chartered Cyber Security Professional framework.

The recognition places the cyber security consultancy within a UK scheme designed to assure buyers of cyber services by confirming that participating companies employ staff whose skills meet an established professional benchmark.

The programme was created to support member organisations, widen access to new talent and open commercial opportunities across the UK cyber sector. For NCC Group, the recognition also formalises a relationship with The Cyber Scheme that has developed over several years through assessment and standards work.

Its inclusion reflects a continued focus on independently assured cyber security services and industry-wide professional standards. The scheme is intended to raise standards in cyber security testing and related technical disciplines.

Standards focus

The Cyber Scheme operates as a training and assessment body for the UK’s technical cyber security market. Its work includes NCSC-certified training and assessments used in government-related schemes, alongside activity in incident response, red team management, and operational technology and internet of things security.

It is also licensed to assess individuals for professional titles across several disciplines, from Associate to Chartered level. The Accredited Company Programme extends that framework from individual practitioners to employers by examining whether a company’s workforce aligns with recognised standards.

The recognition builds on collaboration that has included support for the development of red team examinations. NCC Group has also contributed to initiatives adopted across the sector, including by financial institutions.

That work reflects a broader push within the cyber market to create clearer benchmarks for technical competence at a time when public and private sector buyers face a crowded supplier landscape. Accreditation and professional registration schemes have become one way to distinguish between training, assessment and practical experience in a market where services can be difficult to compare.

Industry role

NCC Group has also worked with industry bodies including the UK Cyber Security Council to help define and promote professional standards. The council’s chartered framework has become a UK reference point for measuring cyber security professionalism across specialisms.

The recognition comes as cyber employers continue to grapple with skills shortages and pressure to show that teams meet externally validated standards. Programmes that tie organisational recognition to individual professional benchmarks are increasingly used to support both recruitment and buyer confidence.

The Cyber Scheme assesses and certifies hundreds of testers each year, with certifications intended to support applications for professional titles in the security testing specialism. It also runs training and mentoring courses for practitioners ranging from entry-level staff to experienced specialists.

In addition, the organisation serves as an assessment provider for the Cyber Advisor Scheme in partnership with IASME and works with bodies including the UK Cyber Security Council, the National Cyber Security Centre, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and academic institutions.

For NCC Group, the latest recognition provides another formal marker of its standing in the UK assurance market, where customers increasingly look for evidence that technical claims are backed by third-party assessment. The company has presented the move as part of its role in supporting consistency and professionalism across the industry.

A factual statement accompanied the announcement.

“Our participation in The Cyber Scheme Accredited Company Programme underlines NCC Group’s commitment to setting the standard for independently assured cyber security services. It reflects both the strength of our technical expertise and the active role we play in shaping the future of professional standards across the industry,” said Duncan McDonald, UK lead technical assurance services, NCC Group.