Live Facial Recognition roll-out designed to catch high-harm offenders

The new vehicles will operate according to strict rules, which ensure that they’re only deployed when there’s specific intelligence available. The College of Policing harbours clear guidance on how the technology should be mobilised.

These vehicles enable law enforcement to target and locate wanted criminals and suspects for the most serious forms of criminality including violent assaults, homicide and serious and organised crime. Forces already employing LFR have used it to arrest people in relation to knife crime and robbery, etc. The technology has also been deployed in order to maintain safety regimes at large-scale public events.

Existing safeguards require checks only to be conducted against police ‘watchlists’ of wanted criminals, suspects and those subject to bail or court order conditions. ‘Watchlists’ are bespoke to every deployment, with police officers following strict guidance from the College of Policing when composing a given list.

In addition, every neighbourhood across England and Wales now has named and contactable officers in place to tackle issues blighting their communities, marking a major milestone in the Government’s Plan for Change.

As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee to put 13,000 more officers into communities by 2029, members of the public will have consistent direct links to their local police force, with dedicated anti-social behaviour leads in place and new visible patrols in town centres.

Turning the corner 

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Neighbourhood policing has been decimated over the last 15 years, but through our Plan for Change we’re turning the corner, starting with town and city centres.”

Cooper continued: “Within the next year, we will have 3,000 new neighbourhood officers and Police Community Support Officers in place. This represents a substantial shift. We also want them to have more powers to tackle off-road bikes, shop theft, street theft and other crimes that have blighted some of our town and city centres for some time now. In this way, everyone can feel safe in their own town.”

Further, Cooper noted: “We will provide the police with the tools they need to do their jobs. Facial recognition will be used in a targeted manner to identify individuals wanted for the most serious crimes whom the police have not been able to find. That’s why we’re funding ten vehicles and also drawing up a new legal framework such that proper safeguards and checks are in place.”

Police forces including the Metropolitan Police Service and South Wales Police have already witnessed success with their own live facial recognition deployments. The former reported that, in a period of 12 months, 580 arrests were made using LFR for offences including knife crime, GBH and robbery.  

Alongside the roll-out of the ten police vans, the Government will simultaneously consult on how the technology should be used and what appropriate safeguards and oversight are needed to ensure transparency and public confidence, in turn helping the Government to shape a new legal framework for LFR’s usage.

As stated, police officers need to follow the College of Policing’s guidance on how the technology is used – measuring faces from a live feed only against police ‘watchlists’ in a bid to determine matches – and comply with the established Surveillance Camera Code of Practice.

Independent testing 

Every vehicle will play host to trained officers who check every match made by the technology. The algorithm being used in the vans has been independently tested and will only be operated in specific circumstances and with robust oversight.

The facial recognition algorithm used in the new vans has been independently tested for bias by the National Physical Laboratory. Testing found that the algorithm is accurate and that there’s no bias for ethnicity, age or gender at the settings used by the police service.

The ten new LFR units are being deployed to police forces in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey and Sussex (jointly) and Thames Valley and Hampshire (also on a joint basis).

Autumn witnesses the launch of a consultation to seek views on when and how the technology should be used, as well as examine appropriate safeguards and oversight, in order to ensure transparency and public confidence. Ultimately, this will assist the Government in shaping that aforementioned new legal framework.

The mobile units will be distributed in the coming weeks, with the roll-out being co-ordinated by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) and South Wales Police. It will be for individual forces to determine how and when the vans are deployed in their respective areas, operating within the College of Policing guidance, but with clear monitoring of their use and effectiveness in order to feed into the consultation process.

Effective policing 

Lindsey Chiswick, the NPCC’s lead for facial recognition, observed: “The police service has a duty to prevent crime and keep members of the public safe. Live Facial Recognition supports effective policing, enabling officers to locate suspects both quickly and accurately.”

Chiswick continued: “The increased access to Live Facial Recognition vehicles for police forces that previously didn’t have this capability is an excellent opportunity for policing. Each Live Facial Recognition deployment will be targeted and intelligence-led within a set geographical location and for defined periods of time only, ensuring deployments are proportionate, lawful and necessary. Live Facial Recognition has already been used in policing to great success, locating thousands of wanted offenders in tandem with those individuals breaching their bail conditions.”

In conclusion, Chiswick noted: “Moving forward, I’m fully confident that the increased use of this technology will continue to support the safety of communities right across the country.”

South Wales Police has been a national leader when it comes to the deployment of facial recognition systems, with no false alerts reported since August 2019 and multiple arrests linked to LFR technology’s use.

Chief Superintendent Tim Morgan of South Wales Police explained: “Our priority is to keep the public safe and this technology continues to help us achieve that aim. We understand the concerns being raised about the use of LFR technology. We use any new technology ethically and spend time and effort making sure that it’s deployed in line with all legislation and guidance.”

Morgan continued: “It’s important to remember that the use of this technology has never resulted in a wrongful arrest in South Wales and there have been no false alerts for several years as the technology, and our increased understanding of it, has evolved.”

Also, Morgan asserted: “The level of oversight and independent scrutiny means that we’re now in a stronger position than ever before to be able to demonstrate that our use of LFR technology is fair, legitimate, ethical and proportionate.”

Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee 

John Hayward-Cripps, CEO of Neighbourhood Watch, stated: “The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee reflects what many Neighbourhood Watch members want: responsive policing that prioritises local relationships. This is so important as people stop reporting issues when they don’t have confidence that something will be done.”  

Hayward-Cripps went on to note: “We know that successful community policing takes time. Having named and contactable officers is an extremely positive step. The most effective neighbourhood policing models combine targeted approaches with genuine community engagement.”   

Further, Hayward-Cripps commented: “Working with communities as partners rather than passive recipients should deliver the visible and community-based policing that not only keeps people safer, but also builds confidence and encourages all of us to play an active role.”

The announcement forms part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission and follows the launch of the Safer Streets Summer initiative, which is delivering increased patrols and enforcement in over 500 town centres nationwide.