England’s Essex Police plan to implement live facial recognition (LFR) technology permanently, following a trial conducted in October 2023 in Chelmsford and Southend-on-Sea.
![](https://findbiometrics.com/wp-content/uploads/iStock_Face-Feature-300x2251.jpg)
Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington emphasized that LFR would be used exclusively to apprehend wanted individuals or prevent serious crimes. He assured that any arrest decisions would be made by officers, not the technology itself.
“We’re not picking people up for parking tickets and more minor offences, it’s the real serious stuff,” he said.
The LFR setup includes surveillance cameras mounted on marked police vans. During the trial, five LFR alerts led to three arrests, including one for suspected rape. Harrington highlighted that the technology’s application would be fair and involve public consultations. Faces not identified as suspects would be immediately deleted from the system.
Essex Police also used retrospective facial recognition in May and June, identifying 78 offenders. This involved analyzing images from home security cameras shared by residents.
The Essex Police force’s decision reflects a growing enthusiasm for the use of facial recognition among United Kingdom police agencies. The London Metropolitan Police have reported many arrests resulting from LFR deployments in Croydon, and the North Wales Police recently conducted a two-day pilot of LFR at Holyhead Port.
Source: BBC News
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July 9, 2024 – by Cass Kennedy
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