Facial Recognition Deployment to Combat Crime
Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones is urging officers to make greater use of facial recognition to identify suspects.
This call follows a government request for police forces to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered crime-fighting tools.
Jones has increased Lincolnshire Police’s contribution from council tax from April and plans to use some of the money to explore the use of AI.
The UK Home Office states that facial recognition has helped police catch a significant number of serious offenders.
Jones proposes scanning crowds at football matches to identify suspected criminals using the technology.
He said, “We see facial recognition technology as being very effective in achieving results. I think the people of Lincolnshire deserve the benefit of that technology.”
On Wednesday, the council approved Jones’ proposal to increase the council tax precept by 4.45% for 2024/25. The commissioner pledged to use some of the money to “explore and exploit new technologies such as facial recognition” to catch criminals faster.
Use of Facial Recognition in the UK
The UK government is encouraging all police forces in England and Wales to utilize the benefits of innovative technology.
A Home Office spokesperson said, “Facial recognition, including live facial recognition, is a powerful tool with a strong legal basis, confirmed by the courts. It has helped the police catch a significant number of serious criminals, including murderers and sex offenders.”
However, privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch opposes the plans. Madeleine Stone, the group’s senior advocacy officer, said, “Facial recognition is a highly intrusive and concerning surveillance technology because of its inaccuracy.”
Facial recognition technology is already being used by private companies to catch shoplifters. Partney Filling Station near Skegness recently installed facial recognition cameras.
Managing director Tom Dant said, “We have people who fill up and sometimes forget, or deliberately drive off without paying. The camera recognizes them when they come again and 99% of them are embarrassed and pay up.”
Detective Chief Inspector Liz Rogers of Lincolnshire Police said, “We currently use facial recognition through the Police National Database to help us identify unknown suspects captured on images or CCTV.
We are exploring the potential to utilize facial recognition in other aspects of operational policing. This is still in its early stages of development.”
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