Police force to deploy facial recognition vans

A police force is to deploy facial recognition vans in the run-up to Christmas.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is one of the latest forces to use live facial recognition (LFR) to detect suspects, offenders breaching court orders and missing people.

The technology, which has been criticised by some civil liberty groups, would have "extremely low levels of misidentification", the force said.

The first full deployment will be in Southampton on 18 December, following a pilot scheme in September 2024.

LFR has been deployed by some police forces for eight years.

In August, the government said it had been used in London to make 580 arrests in 12 months, including 52 registered sex offenders who breached their conditions.

The Home Office announced funding for 10 more LFR vans, including for police in Hampshire and the Thames Valley jointly.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said it would deploy its two vans across the two counties, announcing locations a week in advance.

Assistant Chief Constable Robert France said: "It was clear from our pilot in September last year just what an effective tool it can be.

"We know that some people are concerned about misidentification, particularly in relation to those from ethnic minority backgrounds and women.

"The technology has been significantly upgraded and undergone stringent independent testing to address the issues which were identified in early versions of the software as far back as 2019."

LFR identifies people by taking measurements of facial features including the distance between the eyes and the length of the jawline.

The force said it did not take photographs of passers-by and scans that did not trigger an alert were instantly deleted.

The area's Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones said: "This technology is ground-breaking.

"It's helping lead to the faster detention of suspects which is freeing up police time to fight crime, patrol our streets and respond to emergencies."

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