Facewatch wins AI certification for facial recognition

Facewatch has received ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification for its artificial intelligence management system, covering its live facial recognition crime prevention service for UK retailers.

ISO/IEC 42001:2023 is the first international management system standard focused on AI governance. It applies to the design, operation, governance and continual improvement of the system behind Facewatch's biometric facial recognition alerting service and Subject of Interest database.

Facewatch provides live facial recognition technology to more than 125 retailers operating thousands of stores across the UK. Its system alerts store teams when individuals previously involved in criminal behaviour enter a protected store.

The certification followed a Stage 2 assessment by Tempo Audits, which found that Facewatch's management system met the requirements of ISO/IEC 42001:2023. Facewatch said the auditor's executive summary reported no major or minor nonconformities.

The certification focuses on how AI systems are governed, including risk management, accountability, transparency, lifecycle control, monitoring and human oversight. It also covers Facewatch's use of AI tools across the organisation and its roles as AI provider, customer, partner and producer.

Nick Fisher, Chief Executive Officer of Facewatch, described the award as an important step for the business as scrutiny of facial recognition grows in retail and public settings.

"Live facial recognition will only maintain confidence if it is governed as rigorously as it is engineered. ISO/IEC 42001 gives retailers, regulators and the public independent evidence that Facewatch is not simply deploying AI-powered technology, but managing it through a formal, independently audited governance framework. We believe we are the world's first UK-based provider of live facial recognition technology to retailers to achieve ISO/IEC 42001 certification for a crime prevention use and, as such, this is a significant milestone for our business and the responsible use of AI in tackling theft and protecting shop workers," Fisher said.

He added: "It demonstrates that we can help retailers address crime, abuse and violence while meeting the high governance expectations that rightly surround the use of facial recognition technology."

Wider controls

The AI certification sits alongside other assurance standards already held by the company, including ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2, Cyber Essentials, and IoT Security Baseline assessment Levels 1 and 2.

Those standards relate to information security, cloud controls and device security in physical retail environments. ISO/IEC 42001 extends that framework to the governance of AI systems themselves.

The auditor's executive summary, as cited by Facewatch, said the company had "demonstrated a mature, well-governed and thoughtfully designed Artificial Intelligence Management System". Facewatch added that the assessment highlighted the link between its AI governance arrangements and its existing ISO/IEC 27001-certified information security management system.

Ashish Verma, Head of IT at Facewatch, said the process required the company to document and evidence oversight of AI from initial assessment through to operational monitoring.

"ISO/IEC 42001 required us to evidence how our AI systems are governed across their lifecycle, from risk and impact assessment through to monitoring, change control and human oversight. Achieving certification required a major cross-functional effort by our technology, security and governance teams, creating what Facewatch believes is one of the most comprehensive assurance and compliance frameworks in retail AI," Verma said.

Retail use

Facewatch operates as a data controller under UK GDPR and supplies live facial recognition systems to a growing group of retailers, including national chains and independent businesses. The retailer list named by the company includes Budgens, Frasers Group, Flannels, Home Bargains, Sainsbury's and Sports Direct, as well as garden centres and charity shops.

Its clients use the technology to help identify repeat offenders and reduce incidents in stores. Facewatch said the system generated more than 500,000 real-time alerts of known offenders in 2025.

The company also said the technology has helped deter repeat offending by up to 70% as retailers face high levels of theft, abuse and violence against shop workers. According to Facewatch, the British Retail Consortium has reported 1,600 incidents of abuse and violence against shop workers each day.

Fisher linked the certification to that wider retail environment and the debate around safeguards for facial recognition.

"This certification reflects our long-term commitment to responsible, proportionate and evidence-led use of live facial recognition as retailers face sustained pressure from theft, abuse and violence against employees," he said.