Sainsbury’s Ejects Warren Rajah in Facewatch Facial Recognition Error

Key Points

• Warren Rajah, a data professional, was wrongly instructed to leave the Sainsbury’s store in Elephant and Castle, south London, after staff misidentified him as an offender via facial recognition alerts.​
• The incident occurred when three staff members, including a security guard, approached Rajah, questioned his shopping habits, confiscated his items, and escorted him out without explanation.
• Rajah described the experience as “Orwellian” and “traumatic,” fearing public humiliation and questioning his rights in the moment.
• Staff directed Rajah to a poster about facial recognition and told him to contact Facewatch, the technology provider.​
• Facewatch confirmed to Rajah there were “no incidents or alerts associated with [him]” on its database, requiring passport verification for identity checks.​
• A Sainsbury’s spokesperson stated: “We have been in contact with Mr Rajah to sincerely apologise for his experience in our Elephant and Castle store. This was not an issue with the facial recognition technology in use but a case of the wrong person being approached in store.”​
• Sainsbury’s added that nobody had been wrongly identified by Facewatch technology itself, marking this as the first instance of a store manager wrongly approaching someone, due to “human error.”
• Sainsbury’s offered Rajah a £75 shopping voucher as compensation.​
• Rajah expressed concerns over staff training, human interpretation of alerts, and risks to vulnerable customers: “Imagine how mentally debilitating this could be to someone vulnerable, after that kind of public humiliation.”​
• He questioned: “Am I supposed to walk around fearful that I might be misidentified as a criminal?”
• The Elephant and Castle store is one of six London locations using Facewatch: initial trials in one London store and Bath, expanded to Dalston, Elephant and Castle, Ladbroke Grove, Camden, and Whitechapel.
• Facewatch and Sainsbury’s claim the software has “99.98% accuracy,” with human verification as a second stage, but Rajah doubts the dataset’s representativeness for diverse body types and skin tones.
• Rajah, with industry experience, noted: “I still believe that AI and technology can be incredible tools. The caveat is that their effectiveness is contingent upon the competence of the people operating them.”​
• Sainsbury’s plans additional training for Elephant and Castle management.​
• Similar incident: In November 2025, Byron Long, 66, was wrongly accused of stealing £75 from a B&M store in Cardiff Bay Retail Park due to Facewatch human error; CCTV cleared him, B&M apologised with a £25 voucher (declined), and Big Brother Watch filed a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.
• Sainsbury’s rolled out Facewatch amid rising retail crime, with shoplifting offences exceeding 500,000 in England and Wales in 2024 and over a million recorded.
• CEO Simon Roberts said: “The retail industry finds itself at a pivotal moment, grappling with increasing abuse, anti-social conduct, and violence. Our priority must be safety.”​
• Usdaw General Secretary Joanne Thomas welcomed trials for responsible crime-fighting.​

Elephant and Castle, South London (South London News) February 5, 2026 – A routine shopping trip turned into a distressing ordeal for Warren Rajah at the Sainsbury’s supermarket when staff mistakenly identified him as a flagged offender using facial recognition technology, forcing him to abandon his basket and leave the premises. The 42-year-old data professional was approached by three employees, including a security guard, who questioned his habits before escorting him out in full view of other customers. Sainsbury’s has since apologised, attributing the mishap to human error rather than a technological fault, amid its wider rollout of Facewatch systems to combat shoplifting.

What Happened to Warren Rajah at Sainsbury’s?

As reported by BBC News journalists, Warren Rajah entered the Elephant and Castle branch on a Tuesday when two staff members and a security guard suddenly approached him. One employee glanced between Rajah and her phone before signalling to colleagues, then instructed him to leave his shopping and exit the store. Rajah recounted asking for an explanation, only to be pointed towards a window poster on facial recognition and advised to contact Facewatch.

Rajah described the encounter as “Orwellian,” noting the lack of immediate recourse:

“What would happen if I asked the police to be called? What rights do I have?”

as covered by GB News. He felt publicly humiliated, with shoppers watching as his items were confiscated. Upon contacting Facewatch, the company required a passport copy and photo for verification before confirming no alerts existed, stating:

“Facewatch [did] not play [a] part in [him] being approached at the store.”

Sainsbury’s responded promptly, apologising and providing a £75 voucher. A spokesperson clarified to BBC News:

“This was not an issue with the facial recognition technology in use but a case of the wrong person being approached in store.”​

Why Did Sainsbury’s Staff Misidentify Warren Rajah?

According to Sainsbury’s, the error stemmed from human verification, the second stage after software alerts, with no prior wrong identifications by Facewatch itself—this being the first manager mistake. The supermarket chain emphasised to BBC that staff training would improve at the store.

Rajah, however, remains sceptical, arguing the system depends on human interpretation and inadequate Sainsbury’s training. As an industry expert, he told reporters:

“AI and technology can be incredible tools. The caveat is that their effectiveness is contingent upon the competence of the people operating them.”

He raised doubts on the 99.98% accuracy claim, questioning dataset diversity for skin tones and body types.

Facewatch requires strict evidence before watchlist additions, reviewed by a data protection officer.​

What Is Facewatch Technology Used by Sainsbury’s?

Facewatch integrates with CCTV to scan faces against a shared retailer watchlist of offenders, deleting non-matches instantly. Sainsbury’s trialled it in September 2025 at one London store and Bath, expanding after success to six London sites: Dalston, Elephant and Castle, Ladbroke Grove, Camden, Whitechapel, per GB News and Sainsbury’s corporate statements.

Other users include B&M, Budgens, Sports Direct, Costcutter, Home Bargains, and Flannels. The rollout addresses surging theft—over 500,000 shoplifting cases in England and Wales in 2024, exceeding a million recorded—plus staff violence.

Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts told Yahoo Finance:

“Our priority must be safety. This necessitates investing in technology to safeguard our staff and assist local law enforcement.”

Usdaw’s Joanne Thomas supported evidence-based use.​

Has Facial Recognition Caused Similar Errors Before?

Yes, mirroring Rajah’s case, 66-year-old Byron Long faced accusation at B&M in Cardiff Bay Retail Park in November 2025. As reported by BBC News, staff claimed he stole £75 previously; CCTV proved payment, but Facewatch blamed human error. B&M apologised with a £25 voucher, which Long rejected; Big Brother Watch complained to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Biometric Update noted such retailer incidents highlight verification risks.​

What Are the Risks of Facial Recognition for Vulnerable Shoppers?

Rajah voiced fears for vulnerable individuals:

“Imagine how mentally debilitating this could be to someone vulnerable, after that kind of public humiliation,”

he told BBC. He worries about ongoing fear:

“Am I supposed to walk around fearful that I might be misidentified as a criminal?”

Critics like Big Brother Watch decry “Orwellian” surveillance, as in their social media posts on Sainsbury’s expansion. Eastern Eye highlighted the 99.98% claim amid the error.

How Is Sainsbury’s Responding to the Incident?

Beyond the apology and voucher, Sainsbury’s committed to extra training for Elephant and Castle managers. The Grocer reported the chain’s theft decline post-trials, justifying expansion. No further policy changes were detailed, but emphasis remains on human oversight.

What Does This Mean for Retail Facial Recognition in the UK?

The incidents underscore tensions between crime-fighting tech and privacy errors, with Sainsbury’s as UK’s second-largest chain pushing adoption. Computing.co.uk noted trials’ focus on suspects, not monitoring customers. Ongoing debates question training, bias, and regulation amid rising retail crime.