North Yorkshire Police are planning to introduce Live Facial Recognition technology to tackle serious crime, prompting the Deputy Mayor to seek assurances over civil liberties.
North Yorkshire Police say they're planning the implementation and use of Live Facial Recognition technology within York and North Yorkshire to help protect vulnerable people and tackle serious crime.
The surveillance system will be deployed in carefully selected, intelligence-led locations. It aims to help identify individuals 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 criteria for intervention. 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.
In an effort to protect the privacy of the general public, images that do not match the watchlist are deleted immediately and permanently. The watchlist itself is also deleted at the conclusion of each deployment.
A number of forces across the country are now using the technology to successfully locate wanted individuals more efficiently, protect vulnerable people, and deter crime through targeted deployments.
In support of Live Facial Recognition, the government has proposed significant investment in policing technology. This includes funding for 40 new Live Facial Recognition vans, £26 million for a national facial recognition system, and £11.6 million to support capability and coordination.
Jo Coles, Deputy Mayor for Police Crime Commissioner, addressed the balance between public safety and human rights:
"The use of any new technology requires particular scrutiny and assurance. Some members of the public may be concerned about the implications in terms of civil liberties, safeguarding and the potential targeting of minority groups. I fully recognise those concerns and am seeking particular and ongoing assurances around this proposal from North Yorkshire Police in a number of areas. The responses to these issues may not reassure everyone, and I know that some people are opposed to the use of this kind of technology by the police under any circumstances. However, as crime evolves, it is right that the police explore new tools that may help them to keep people safe, provided that it is done responsibly and with robust safeguards in place."
While the exact locations for the cameras have not yet been finalised, the technology is expected to be utilised in areas with high footfall or specific intelligence.
The Deputy Mayor explained how the public can stay informed and share their views on the forthcoming surveillance plans:
"At the moment, there are no specific proposals for the use of this technology, but in other parts of the UK, it has been used to police sporting fixtures, for example, or other events where large numbers of people congregate. Going forward, I'll also be seeking further assurances in my regular meetings with North Yorkshire Police, and I'm also planning to ensure that concerns from members of the public are properly represented in my regular online public meetings with North Yorkshire Police. Anyone who has particular questions or concerns can feed those into those processes or contact me at any time."
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