West Yorkshire Police says its first use of live facial recognition in Kirklees led to three arrests during a three-day operation in Huddersfield town centre.
The force deployed two camera-equipped vans on the first day of the operation and one van on each of the following two days. The systems compared faces captured by live cameras with police watchlists, generating alerts for officers to review before deciding whether to intervene.
Police said the people identified through alerts included a man wanted on suspicion of domestic stalking, a person wanted on a warrant and a suspected shoplifter. All three were arrested and taken into custody. Officers also stopped and spoke with six people who were subject to Sexual Harm Prevention Orders.
The deployment represents the first operational use of the technology in Kirklees following the national allocation of live facial recognition vans to West Yorkshire and several other police forces. The Home Office has promoted mobile units as a way to extend capabilities previously concentrated in London to other regions.
West Yorkshire Police said an alert does not automatically determine that a person is on a watchlist. Trained officers review the comparison and make the operational decision. Images of people who do not produce a match are deleted within seconds, according to the force.
The technology may also be used to locate missing people, witnesses to serious crimes and potential victims of offences including modern slavery. Chief Inspector Dan Tillett, who leads the force’s live facial recognition work, described the Huddersfield operation as targeted rather than indiscriminate and said further deployments are planned.
The Kirklees results add to a growing set of operational reports from UK police. A Metropolitan Police pilot in Croydon produced more than 100 arrests over three months, while other forces are introducing mobile deployments under locally approved policies and watchlist procedures.
Inspector Mark Pattinson of Kirklees Police said the force would seek another opportunity to bring the system back to the district. The operation followed a separate district-wide effort in which officers located 60 people wanted in connection with domestic offending.
Sources: West Yorkshire Police
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
