The government is to encourage police forces across England and Wales to adopt live facial recognition (LFR) technology, with a minister praising its use by the London’s Metropolitan Police in a suburb in the south of the city.
Policing minister Sarah Jones confirmed the UK government is consulting on guidance on where, when, and how police forces can use LFR with publication due later this year. “What we’ve seen in Croydon is that it has worked,” she told a fringe event at the Labour party conference on September 29, referring to the Met’s installation of permanent LFR cameras in the town.
“We just need to make sure it’s clear what the technology is going to be useful for going forward. If we are going to use it more, if we do want to roll it out across the country, what are the parameters?” she added. “Live facial recognition is a really good tool that has led to arrests that wouldn’t have come otherwise and it’s very, very valuable.”
In August, the Home Office said that seven more police forces will start using ten new vans kitted out with LFR technology, in addition to existing use by the Metropolitan Police in London and South Wales Police. At the time it said the two forces have used LFR to make 580 arrests over the previous 12 months.
Hellbound and Down 