Business & Technology
Facewatch expands facial recognition into pharmacy sector
SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO
News Editor
Facewatch is expanding its live facial recognition business into the UK pharmacy sector, citing rising concern about theft and abuse in pharmacies.
It is preparing to launch Facewatch PharmacyProtect for pharmacy operators dealing with crime linked to medicines, repeat offending and threats to staff. The system is aimed at pharmacies that combine healthcare services with a retail presence on the high street.
The launch comes as pharmacy bodies warn of worsening conditions for frontline teams. The National Pharmacy Association has reported a rise in theft, aggression and threats against pharmacy staff, and says police and NHS responses are often inadequate.
Pharmacies face a different risk profile from other retailers because they store prescription and over-the-counter medicines and often operate in busy locations with limited security measures. Facewatch argues this can leave staff more exposed to confrontation and organised theft.
Its technology is already used across other parts of retail. Facewatch says it acts as a data controller under UK GDPR and sends real-time alerts to staff when a person previously linked to criminal behaviour enters a participating store.
More than 125 retailers using the system operate thousands of stores across the UK, according to the business. It says the technology has helped cut repeat offending by up to 70% and has been adopted by Budgens, Frasers Group, Flannels, Home Bargains, Sainsbury’s and Sports Direct, as well as garden centres and charity shops.
Facewatch also says its system generated more than 500,000 real-time alerts involving known offenders in 2025. It linked that figure to wider pressure on retail workers, citing British Retail Consortium data showing 1,600 incidents of abuse and violence against shop workers each day.
Sector pressure
Community pharmacies have become an increasingly visible part of frontline healthcare, offering services from dispensing medicines to handling patient queries and minor illness support. That accessibility can also make them vulnerable to theft, intimidation and repeat visits by offenders.
Facewatch says PharmacyProtect is being developed with pharmacy operators rather than simply adapted from general retail settings. It is seeking input from pharmacy groups, independent operators and trade bodies as it shapes the product for the sector.
The move suggests Facewatch sees an opening beyond supermarkets and fashion chains, where retailers have been investing more heavily in tools to identify repeat offenders and protect staff. The pharmacy market adds another layer of sensitivity because of its mix of healthcare delivery, controlled medicines and public access.
Nick Fisher, Chief Executive Officer at Facewatch, said the company believes the problem is becoming more severe. “Community pharmacies are on the frontline of both healthcare delivery and retail crime, particularly the rise in organised crime, which we have seen rise sharply in recent years in the wider retail sector. What we are bringing to the pharmacy sector is not new; it is a proven system that is already helping retailers across the UK identify repeat offenders, prevent crime and protect staff before incidents escalate. We want to work with the sector to better understand its specific needs, and offering open access to a demonstration of how the technology works is a vital part of that process.”
The move also highlights how facial recognition is spreading into more specialised areas of physical retail as businesses look for ways to respond to persistent offending. For pharmacies, the issue is not only shoplifting but also the risk of staff abuse in settings where employees may be dealing with prescriptions, stock controls and vulnerable customers at the same time.
Facewatch says the pharmacy version of its system is intended to support operators facing those pressures while staying within UK data protection rules. The technology will trigger alerts about known offenders and notify staff immediately when those individuals enter a protected site.
Its customer base suggests the business has already moved beyond large grocery and fashion chains into other sectors that have seen a rise in theft. The inclusion of charity shops and garden centres among users points to how crime prevention spending is widening as offending spreads to stores once seen as lower risk.
For pharmacy operators, the decision to adopt such tools is likely to depend on whether they see them as proportionate, effective and workable in an environment that combines healthcare, customer service and retail. Facewatch says it wants to build the product with direct sector input rather than offer a standard retail model.
The Barclays van outside Morrisons in Carterton is set to shut after a gradual drop in customer usage, the town council has announced.
The service is set to shut on Thursday, October 22.
The council said users of the van will still be able to pay cash and cheques into Barclays account at the nearby Post Office.
Instead customers will now have to travel six miles to the nearest Barclays branch in Witney.
The council said “please share this post with anyone who may be affected so they are aware of the upcoming change”.
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A Barclays local van is a mobile, cashless banking vehicle that travels to community to provide face-to-face support where traditional branches have closed.
Its part of Barclays flexible banking network, which includes pods, vans, libraries, and town halls.
In February 2023, Barclays announced nearly 100 branch closures throughout 2024 and 2025, in addition to the 177 branches it closed in 2023.
This included the branch in Abingdon, which went on to close in February 2024.
Earlier this year bosses at Barclays announced plans to reopen more high-street branches, in a dramatic U-turn for the bank.
Over the past decade, thousands of high-street bank branches have shut their doors across the country, including those belonging to Barclays, leaving just 206 still operating throughout the UK.
Freddie Van Mierlo, who represents Henley and Thame, has urged the company to prioritise fixing leaking infrastructure, which reportedly loses 2.87 billion litres of water daily.
This comes after the Environment Agency declared the Thames Valley area in drought.
The responsibility of maintaining water resources during a drought lies with water companies.
Thames Water has already implemented a hosepipe ban in the area since July 22, 2026.
Chris Weston, speaking on the BBC’s Big Boss Interview podcast, stated that some of the firm’s targets were beyond what they could achieve.
He said: “We have to hit a certain level of leakage, but it is so far in excess of what we are capable of doing, I think anyone would be capable of doing, however much money you invested, that it is not going to be achievable.”
Thames Water, the largest water company in the UK, has been under fire recently for its handling of sewage discharges and leaks.
Last year, it was fined a record £122.7 million by regulator Ofwat, largely for breaching sewage spill rules.
However, Mr Van Mierlo argues that a network-wide hosepipe ban would save around 577 million litres a day.
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He said: “So, although measures such as hosepipe bans are required during drought, it seems fixing leaking infrastructure would be a significantly more effective use of time.
“In your most recent interview with the BBC, you commented that targets to fix leakages are ‘unrealistic’, this is incredible insensitive considering we are experiencing a 1-in-500-year drought event.
“After reviewing the company’s existing drought plans, I am further concerned that the actions outlined in the early stages of drought are limited to awareness campaigns to reduce water use and hosepipe bans.
“Nowhere, even when drought progresses to severe, is there mention of emergency repairs to leaks in the system.”
He added that constituents have been contacting him daily about leaks due to Thames Water infrastructure and the lack of action following their reports.
He said: “Not only do these leaks damage property, but now in a time of drought, Thames Water are washing away an essential resource.”
The company, serving 16 million customers in London and parts of southern England, treats 4.3 billion litres of waste daily.
Mr Weston mentioned that “99.5 per cent of the time” the waste is treated successfully, although “sometimes something goes wrong”.
He added that while the company wants to improve on pollution, the chance of getting to zero pollution was “very, very slim”.
Fraser Jones, the director of Barefoot Oxford, has made clear that all its shops are staying open and there will be no job losses, as the company ‘streamlines’.
This process has seen Barefoot Oxford Limited go into liquidation with liquidators from JT Maxwell Ltd appointed on July 29. A resolution to wind up the company was passed on the same day.
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Fraser Jones, director of Barefoot Oxford, said: “Simply a reorganisation and no changes to the business at all.
“All shops staying open and no job losses.
“We are streamlining to the one company name of Barefoot Bakery, how we are best known.”
The business has three branches across Oxford in North Parade Avenue, Walton Street and Cowley Road and one in Kidlington.
It describes itself as a “small artisan bakery”.
It added: “We started out making cakes from our kitchen at home and selling them on a market stall in Oxford.
“Since then, the business has grown from strength to strength.”
Indeed, in June this year, cast of the smash hit romantic musical Waitress visited the business’ Jericho branch to publicise their performances at the New Theatre in Oxford.
It coincided with the 12th anniversary of the shop, run by Mr Jones and wife Emily.
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Barefoot Oxford – the company going under which Mr Jones is director of – reported creditors falling within a year of £375,000 in its latest accounts to March 31, 2025.
Its average number of employees was 33.
Meanwhile Barefoot Bakery Ltd – which Mr Jones is also a director of – reported creditors of £79,000 falling within a year and five employees.
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