Western Australia Police says its live facial recognition trial has recorded 79 arrests after scanning 905,117 faces across 77 deployments. The force’s three-month update lists 209 alerts and eight incorrect alerts, alongside engagements with 114 registered sex offenders and eight welfare checks.
The deployments covered 36 metropolitan and regional locations from the trial’s June 22 start. Of the 79 arrests, 36 related to outstanding warrants. Police use the mobile system to compare faces in public spaces against a predetermined list of people sought for a particular operation.
The force reported an incorrect-alert rate of approximately 0.0009 percent, calculated against the total number of faces scanned. Officers review every alert before deciding whether to approach someone, and an alert alone does not provide grounds for arrest or the exercise of police powers.
The trial had previously scanned more than 130,000 faces and recorded 19 arrests during its early deployments. The current totals cover the wider program, including its expansion outside Perth.
Geraldton hosted the first regional deployment on September 11 and 12. That operation generated six alerts, resulting in one arrest and three engagements with registered sex offenders. Police said associated work by officers produced another two arrests, a summons, six move-on notices and an infringement beyond the system alerts.
The technology operates from a marked police van with signs warning the public that facial recognition is in use. Cameras create a biometric template from a detected face and compare it with the alert list. Trained officers assess possible matches using the images, similarity score and relevant environmental or technical factors.
Alert lists can include people wanted on warrants, suspects in serious offenses, people subject to legal restrictions, missing persons and those considered at risk of harm. A superintendent or more senior officer must authorize each deployment after considering its purpose, location, necessity and proportionality.
WA Police says faces that do not generate an alert are pixelated on the operator’s screen and the associated data is deleted immediately and automatically. Alert details may be retained when required for an offense investigation or complaint. The force’s operating procedures also require post-deployment review, including assessment of incorrect alerts.
Sources: Western Australia Police Force, Western Australia Police Force
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
