The UK government will put police use of facial recognition under a specific law, create an independent watchdog with enforcement powers and write a separate legal code for private-sector users such as shops, the Home Office said in its response to a public consultation. The measures will be included in the Police Reform Bill, which will be introduced to Parliament in due course.
Under the proposals, police use must be intelligence-led and proportionate, with the technology deployed only when officers believe wanted people could be present. Policing minister Sarah Jones said forces now operate under a “patchwork” of “piecemeal legislation” and that the law would set “parameters and principles” for its use. “For example, if I had an outstanding parking fine, I would not expect this technology to be used for that,” she said.
The framework would cover biometrics and facial recognition used by law enforcement and other public bodies, along with overt surveillance tools and inferential systems, which analyze biometric data to infer traits such as emotions or intentions. It would stipulate the minimum rank of officer who can authorize use, require independent testing of technology for bias, and limit searches of databases held by non-law-enforcement public bodies. The seriousness of a crime would not be the sole test of whether a deployment is justified.
A single oversight body would monitor compliance with a statutory code of practice and could, in extreme cases, seek a court injunction barring a force from using the technology. Its design will take account of the roles of the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner and the Forensic Science Regulator. Commissioner William Webster told Liberty Investigates he was not consulted on the Home Office’s immigration enforcement plans for live facial recognition, which he said fall outside his remit.
Private-sector use remains subject to data protection law, and the new code would cover facial recognition for preventing and detecting crime. Nick Fisher, chief executive of Facewatch, whose system was involved when Sainsbury’s paused use at a London store, welcomed the plan. “We want the Government to set a high bar and hold every provider, including Facewatch, to it,” he said.
The Home Office cited a static camera pilot in Croydon credited with 173 arrests and 2,631 Metropolitan Police arrests following live deployments between January 2025 and October 2026. The Met plans to extend static cameras to the West End and Soho in December.
Big Brother Watch said the technology “is treating everyone who walks by as a suspect by default.” Liberty director Akiko Hart called the announcement “a step in the right direction” but urged ministers to “hit pause on the rapid rollout of facial recognition technology” until safeguards are in place.
Sources: GOV.UK: Home Office, GOV.UK: Government response, BBC News, The Telegraph, The Guardian
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
