North Wales Police Expand Use of Live Facial Recognition

North Wales Police has announced the continued use of live facial recognition (LFR) technology at specific events across the region, following its successful implementation earlier this year at Holyhead Port.

Collaborating with South Wales Police, the technology is being employed to enhance public safety and assist in identifying serious offenders who pose risks to communities.

Chief Superintendent Mark Williams said that the primary goals of using LFR are public safety and the identification of high-risk individuals, stressing that its use will always be legal, ethical, and legitimate. “Our primary aims in using this technology are to keep the public safe and to help us identify serious offenders who pose a significant risk to our communities,” he said.

North Wales Police began using LFR technology at Holyhead in May of this year. The deployment, conducted on May 21 and 22, was part of a proactive strategy to identify suspects and individuals wanted on warrants as they passed through the port. The use of LFR at this location was considered a pilot initiative to assess the technology’s effectiveness in real-world scenarios.

In preparation for the deployment, North Wales Police developed a comprehensive policy document by April 2024. The document outlined their approach to LFR use, aligning with the Authorised Professional Practice (APP) guidelines. The policy emphasized adherence to international standards, such as ISO IEC 30137-1, which provides guidelines for implementing facial recognition systems with video surveillance.

The force has committed to ongoing monitoring and improvement of the system’s performance, focusing on overall accuracy and demographic fairness.

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September 3, 2024 – by Nassar Ali-Smith