Norfolk officer: wider use of facial recognition can 'only be a good thing'
This comes off the back of this technology being trialled for the first time in Norwich, last weekend. It's being deployed again tomorrow
A local Police officer tells us that the wider rollout of facial recognition tech can 'only be a good thing'- when it comes to tackling the likes of shopping lifting.
It comes as 50 thousand faces were scanned during the first use of this in Norwich
How does it work?
Norfolk Police says it works by comparing a live camera feed of faces against a pre-determined watchlist.
The watchlist is created with individuals who present the greatest harm and risk to the public such as suspects wanted for serious violence.
All other faces scanned by the system which do not provide a match are deleted immediately and permanently. The watchlist is deleted straight after the deployment.
What happened in the first trial?
Two vans, provided by Bedfordshire Police, were in place for three and a half hours in the city centre on Sunday 22 March 2026.
There were two positive matches on the day with one man being identified as being wanted for failing to appear in court. He was stopped by officers and also found to be in possession of a class B drug, namely cannabis. He was rebailed for his court warrant and issued with a community resolution for drug possession.
A second man was identified as being subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He was spoken to by officers who established he was not in breach of any conditions, so no further action was taken.
A member of the public approached officers during the deployment, reporting that a man was taking pictures of women within a nearby shop.
A man aged in his 70s was arrested on suspicion of upskirting and taken to Wymondham Police Investigation Centre for questioning. He has since been released on bail until 14 May 2026.
What's planned next?
Norfolk Police will be deploying the technology in the city again this weekend, on Saturday 28 March 2026.
This will be the second trial of the technology to help us better understand its effectiveness and further explore any community concerns.
"It's a great source of community engagement"
Inspector Toby Gosden is from Norfolk Constabulary:
"I personally would like to see it rolled out further. I believe there are great benefits of it.
"It's not just good at helping to take wanted people off the street, but whilst we're there it's a great source of community engagement.
"You have got highly visible officers on the street, something everyone always asks for.
"Nationally, the figures show that when you deploy this technology in a town or city centre they see a 50% fall in shop-lifting offences. It can only be a good thing for the community.
"The Government talk about the importance of taking back town-centres, well that is exactly what we're trying to do".