Facial Recognition Technology

Facial Recognition (FR) technology can be used in a number of ways by the Police, including to prevent and detect crime, find wanted criminals, safeguard vulnerable people, keep the people safe. and to protect people from harm.

The typical uses of FR technology for policing are:

as a real-time aid to help officers to help them locate people on a ‘watchlist’ who are sought by the Police;
as an operator initiated tool for officers who decide they need to take an image of a person and then use Facial Recognition software to help them establish who that person is. This helps the Police even if that person provides false or misleading details. This use of FR can also help provide an identification of someone who is unconscious or seriously injured and unable to communicate who they are;
as a retrospective system to be used after an event to help officers establish who a person is or whether their image matches against other media held on databases.

On the 29th October 2023 the Home Office news team published a Police use of Facial Recognition: Factsheet.

On the 27 the January 2024 the Lords Committee questions legality of Live Facial Recognition Technology.

On the 29th July 2024 the College of Policing published Live facial recognition – five things you need to know.

Police and private companies in the UK have been quietly rolling out facial recognition surveillance cameras, taking ‘faceprints’ of millions of people — often without you knowing about it. This is an enormous expansion of the surveillance state — and it sets a dangerous precedent worldwide. We must stop this dangerously authoritarian surveillance now.
Big Brother Watch – Stop Facial Recognition

Which Police Forces use Live Facial Recognition ?

As of the 14th may 2024 Sussex Police and Surrey Police do not currently use LFR or OIFR and this processing is currently out of scope.

Live Facial Recognition (LFR)

Live Facial Recognition (LFR) cameras are focused on a specific area so that when people pass through that area their images are streamed directly to the Live Facial Recognition system and compared to a watchlist.

All deployments are targeted, intelligence-led, time-bound, and geographically limited. It lets forces place their effort where it is likely to have the greatest effect. Before a deployment, the police will inform the public where they intend to use the technology and where they can obtain more information on its use. 

Following a possible LFR alert, it is always a police officer on the ground who will decide what action, if any, to take. If the LFR system does not make a match with the watchlist, a person’s biometric data is deleted immediately and automatically.  The watchlist is destroyed after each operation.  

Retrospective Facial Recognition (RFR)

The images or short videos that are being searched after the event, are typically obtained from CCTV, mobile phone footage or have been supplied by members of the public. These images can then be searched for example against some of the Police’s custody image databases. If the system indicates a match then a human will always review this and they will decide if they think it is a match or not.

Details of how the Met Police use RFR can be found in their RFR Policy document.

Operator Initiated Facial Recognition (OIFR)

The use of operator initiated facial recognition which takes an image of a particular person and uses it to either (i) help policing establish who a person in the image is or (ii) establish where a person has previously appeared in other media held by the police

Is Live Facial Recognition Lawful ?

The Court of Appeal in R (on the application of Edward BRIDGES) Appellant/ Claimant – and – THE CHIEF CONSTABLE OF SOUTH WALES POLICE – and THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT -and- THE INFORMATION COMMISSIONER (1) THE SURVEILLANCE CAMERA COMMISSIONER (2) THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR SOUTH WALES (3) [2020] EWCA Civ 1058 found that there is a legal framework for police to use LFR.

Live Facial Recognition in Use

DJE Media published a video of his interaction with Hampshire Constabulary and was given a tour inside their Live Facial Recognition Van.

Live Facial Recognition – Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary uses Facial Recognition Technology in the following cases:

Live Facial Recognition (LFR) compares a live camera feed of faces against a predetermined watchlist to find a possible match that generates an alert.

Retrospective Facial Recognition (RFR) is a post event use of facial recognition technology, which compares still images of faces of unknown subjects against a reference image database in order to identify them.

Operator Initiated Facial Recognition (OIFR) is a mobile phone use of FRT technology, which compares a photograph of a person’s face taken on a mobile phone to the predetermined watchlist to assist an officer to identify a subject.

Live Facial Recognition Technology Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary

Auditing Britain published a video of his interaction with the Met Police and was rudely spoken to and the door to their Live Facial Recognition Van was regularly closed. Do the Met Police have something to hide ?

Live Facial Recognition – Croydon Met Police

Facial Recognition Policy Documents (Met Police)

Facial Recognition Impact Assessments (Met Police)

Live Facial Recognition Deployment Records (Met Police)

Most Popular ↓

What is Policing by Consent ? What is Two Tier Policing ?

Latest Articles ↓

Open Justice
The Open Justice Principle refers to the idea that justice should be administered openly, transparently and in a manner that is accessible to the public.… Read more: Open Justice
The Justice System and the Constitution in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has three separate legal systems; one each for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. This system operates within a constitutional framework where… Read more: The Justice System and the Constitution in the United Kingdom
His Honour Judge Guy Kearl KC
His Honour Judge Kearl is a Circuit Judge and the Recorder of Leeds. He is the most senior judge at Leeds Crown Court. On the… Read more: His Honour Judge Guy Kearl KC
Mr Justice Williams
Mr Justice Williams is a British High Court judge in the Family Division. Sir David Basil Williams is known as The Honourable Mr Justice Williams and should be… Read more: Mr Justice Williams

All Articles can be found in the Legal Blog or Sitemap.

You should always seek formal legal advice from a qualified and reputable lawyer (solicitor or barrister).

‘Justice delayed is justice denied’
William Ewart Gladstone

There are a number of links to Free and Paid For Legal Resources and Legal Organisations on the Free Legal Advice , Legal Aid and Pro Bono pages.

Facial Recognition Technology was last updated on the 15th January 2025