Expanded Facial Recognition Vans for Seven UK Police Forces to Combat Crime

England’s seven leading police forces will enhance their crime-fighting capabilities with the deployment of additional live facial recognition (LFR) vans, as announced by the Home Office. The vehicles, equipped with advanced cameras capable of scanning passersby’s faces and comparing them against databases of wanted individuals, are designed to aid in the apprehension of suspects involved in various offenses such as sexual assaults, violent crimes, and homicides.

The technology has shown promising results in London, where it contributed to over 580 arrests within a year, including 52 registered sex offenders who violated their conditions. Despite these successes, privacy advocates like Big Brother Watch express concern over the expanding scope of surveillance, viewing it as an alarming development.

First utilized in England and Wales during the 2017 UEFA Champions League final in Cardiff, LFR has primarily been employed in South Wales, London, and Essex. Notable instances include its application at a Beyoncé concert to screen for potential pedophiles and terrorists. The government is now investing in ten LFR-equipped vans to be shared among the seven forces, effectively doubling the number of such vehicles in operation.

The participating forces are Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley, and Hampshire. Each van will be manned by a trained officer who verifies matches generated by the technology. The LFR system works by analyzing facial features such as the distance between the eyes and the length of the jawline before cross-referencing the data with existing watchlists.

A government consultation is underway to establish necessary safeguards aimed at fostering transparency and public trust, paving the way for the drafting of a new legal framework. The objective is to ensure that this powerful technology is utilized responsibly while maintaining respect for individual privacy rights.