Major UK police force brings in controversial technology – how it works | UK | News

One of the UK’s leading police forces has introduced facial recognition for the first time to crack down on disruptive criminal behavior such as theft. It comes after the Daily Express launched our ‘Stop Shoplifters’ campaign this year to call for a greater effort to stop serial fraudsters targeting already struggling shops and local businesses across the UK.

Now Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has begun using two Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology vans from the Home Office in Sale city center as police tackle a wave of thefts. The north-west-based force has created a watch list containing details of persons of interest and any potential matches will generate an alert. As well as identifying criminals, GMP said the technology would help “protect vulnerable people and keep people safe from harm” by enabling police officers to patrol their communities and respond to any emergencies. Assistant Chief Constable Rick Jackson said: “At GMP we use traditional policing tools but also embrace new and emerging technology.

“This is a really good example of police officers and technology working hand in hand and will strengthen our Neighborhood Policing operation.

“LFR can be used in a variety of ways, including to prevent and detect crime, locate wanted criminals, protect vulnerable people and keep people safe from harm.

“It will also allow officers to spend time responding to emergencies, patrolling their communities and investigating crimes.

“This is a precise and targeted tool that identifies only specific people who are added to a special watch list and will significantly speed up the process of identifying people at risk or wanted by the police.

“It is important that we dispel any myths about the LFR and be open and transparent with the public – it is not a tool for ‘mass surveillance’ and law-abiding members of the public have nothing to fear when they see one of our vans.

“We are committed to using it responsibly, transparently and in full compliance with the law.”

‘Facial recognition’ is a form of technology where a computer scans a person’s face and identifies the person by measuring key features such as the width of the nose, the distance between the eyes and the shape of the person’s cheekbones.

These are then compared to the faces of relevant people stored in police databases.

As well as GMP, other powers currently using the LFR include West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and Hampshire; This system was first used in the UEFA Champions League final in Cardiff in England and Wales in 2017.

GMP explained: “We will be using Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology to ensure the continued safety of our communities across Greater Manchester.

“The Home Office has provided GMP with two LFR vans for use in areas where an operational need has been identified – not just areas with crime problems and heavy pedestrian traffic, as well as music and sporting events.

“We will be deploying the vans to Sale town center on October 21 and 23. The cameras will focus on a specific area or crowd and detect faces when compared to a pre-prepared watch list and issue an instant alert if there is a match.”

Explaining that they will “delete images that contain warnings immediately after use or within 24 hours,” the police said, “The images and biometric data of those that do not cause a warning are automatically and instantly deleted.

“We record CCTV footage used by LFR technology and retain it for 31 days, subject to requirements under the Criminal Procedure and Investigation Act (CPIA) and the Management of Police Information (MoPI).”

ACC Jackson added: “We have put in place a robust process to ensure that eligible people wanted for criminal offenses are included on the lists we use for facial recognition

“There are strict criteria on the necessity and proportionality of the use of facial recognition before it is used in society.

“You will see the vans on the streets of Greater Manchester and they can be used at large, live events such as festivals, concerts and football matches.

“We would encourage members of the public to come and see the vans when they are in operation in the community, understand how they work and speak to officers about the safety measures in place.

“If you walk by one of our cameras and don’t match, your biometric data is instantly deleted. There is no recording or rewind feature.

“LFR has been used with great success in other forces and we will draw on their experience to ensure it is a success in Greater Manchester.”

Kate Green, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: “Live Facial Recognition technology represents a significant step forward in our efforts to keep Greater Manchester safe.

“GMP, with the support of the Home Office, is now equipped to use this precise and targeted tool to identify people wanted for serious crimes, protect vulnerable people and reduce anti-social behavior in our communities.

“I welcome strong ethical oversight and transparency measures, including publicizing distribution schedules and ensuring biometric data is not stored.

“The Greater Manchester Independent Police Ethics Committee has discussed the matter at length, taking into account all the considerations, so I am confident that protective measures will be put in place.

“This is about responsible innovation – improving public safety while protecting civil liberties. I fully support GMP’s commitment to using the LFR in a way that builds trust and confidence across Greater Manchester.”

But Rebecca Vincent, Interim Director of Big Brother Watch, said: “This unprecedented increase in the use of facial recognition technology across the UK is worrying and represents a significant expansion of the surveillance state.

“Live facial recognition turns every passerby into a walking barcode, treating us all as a nation of suspects. This move is not only alarming for our privacy rights, it is also alarming for our democracy.”

“The Home Office should abandon plans to introduce further live facial recognition capabilities until robust legal safeguards are in place.”