Scotland’s police inspectorate has called for facial recognition to be used to keep banned individuals out of football matches, in an annual report published today.
HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland Craig Naylor set out the recommendation in a section of the HMICS Annual Report 2025-26 dealing with football violence. Writing about sanctions available to the game’s governing bodies, he listed tighter limits on crowd numbers and banning orders enforced with more rigour, alongside “requirements to use modern technologies such as facial recognition to prevent the attendance of banned individuals.” All of it, he said, should be explored and enacted.
Naylor said that if governing bodies do not pursue such a regime, he would call on government to mandate one. Police Scotland has not yet decided whether to adopt live facial recognition at all, having opened a public conversation ahead of a deployment decision.
The recommendation follows the Scottish FA’s independent review into disorder at the Rangers v Celtic Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox on 8 March 2026. Reviewers concluded the events were a near miss arising from significant failures in planning, communication and matchday safety, describing pitch incursions, assaults, the use of pyrotechnics and injuries. More than 550 officers were deployed to police the fixture, drawing them away from communities and adding overtime costs not covered by the clubs.
A separate passage on technology makes a broader case. Police and law enforcement partners, the report says, “must also seek to exploit, with appropriate safeguards in place, advancements in operational technology such as remotely piloted aircraft systems … and facial recognition.” The report ties that to reducing threats from high-risk sex offenders, organised crime groups and violent offenders. Naylor adds that the challenge for public sector leaders “is not whether to adopt these technologies, but how quickly they can do so safely, ethically and effectively.”
Scotland has not settled the question. The governing SNP has passed a resolution opposing police use of the technology. South of the border, the Information Commissioner’s Office this week issued 107 recommendations to forces in England and Wales after auditing their facial recognition governance.
The annual report is produced under section 82(3) of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 and presented to Scottish Ministers.
Sources: HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland
–
By Ali Nassar-Smith
