North Yorkshire Police will use live facial recognition technology in York to catch criminals and protect vulnerable people.
The force announced it will be rolling out the facial recognition technology in “carefully selected, intelligence‑led locations” in York and North Yorkshire.
It comes after the government said it would be investing £26 million for a national facial recognition system and £11.6 million to support the rollout of the technology. The government is also funding 40 new live facial recognition vans nationally.
North Yorkshire Police said the facial recognition technology will be used in the county to help identify people who pose a risk to the public, people wanted for criminal offences by the police or the courts, and those subject to court orders restricting them from certain areas.
The technology works by comparing live camera footage to a watchlist made up of individuals who meet the police’s criteria.
“When the system identifies a potential match, officers are alerted and will immediately review the information, carry out further checks and determine whether action is required,” a North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said.
“Images that do not match the watchlist are deleted immediately and permanently. The watchlist itself is deleted at the conclusion of each deployment.”
Deployments of the facial recognition technology will “only take place where there are a clear policing purpose and a strong intelligence case to do so”, the police spokesperson said.
They said North Yorkshire Police is taking “proactive steps to ensure it is prepared to use regional assets and align with national guidance on its deployment”.
The spokesperson added that North Yorkshire Police will “continue to follow national developments closely and will update the public as planning progresses”.
Several police forces across England have already started using the live facial recognition technology to “successfully locate wanted individuals more efficiently, protect vulnerable people and deter crime through targeted deployments”, the North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said.
The move will, however, be a first for North Yorkshire Police which, its spokesperson said, is not investing in any other facial recognition technology itself.
Temporary deputy chief constable Ben Moseley, who is leading on the roll out of live facial recognition technology within North Yorkshire Police, said: “Policing is evolving rapidly, and emerging technologies such as Live Facial Recognition offer enhanced opportunities to prevent harm, safeguard communities and identify high‑risk offenders more swiftly.”
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