Two arrests after 5,000 faces scanned by Suffolk Police facial recognition
Today is the final day the van will be in Suffolk before retuning to Surrey.
Two arrests were made during a Suffolk Police operation which saw around 5,000 faces scanned using live facial recognition technology.
The force deployed the technology in Lowestoft on Tuesday, before moving to Bury St Edmunds on Wednesday and Ipswich today (Thursday 27 August).
PC Laurence Goody told us the Lowestoft operation resulted in two arrests, while officers also seized an e-scooter and drugs during the increased police presence in the town.
By around 1.30pm on Wednesday, he said around 36,000 faces had also been scanned in Bury St Edmunds, although the system had generated no alerts at that point.
The force has previously deployed the technology at Lowestoft's First Light Festival.
PC Goody said more than 100,000 faces were scanned during that deployment, generating two alerts. He said officers established both were correct matches and one person was arrested in connection with an outstanding offence.
He said Suffolk's deployments had not generated any false positive matches at the time of the interview.
Suffolk could get its own facial recognition van
Currently, Suffolk relies on equipment borrowed from other forces, but PC Goody said he had been told funding was being provided to forces around England to acquire their own vans.
He said Suffolk getting its own vehicle was "in the works", which he believed would allow the force to carry out more live facial recognition deployments.
However, he said officers had not been given a firm timeframe for when that would happen.
PC Goody said the technology should be seen as supporting rather than replacing officers.
"It is a tool that supports officers rather than replacing officers for a start. We're still in the pilot seat. We are still making those decisions."
He added that the system is intended to help police recognise people they already have a reason to find.
Police say deployments also increase public engagement
Suffolk Constabulary said the facial recognition van had also prompted members of the public to approach officers to ask questions about how the technology works.
PC Goody said public engagement was "absolutely vital", adding that officers working within the force's town centre team regularly speak to residents and businesses to identify local concerns.
He said information gathered through those conversations had contributed to police work involving drug dealing and shop theft.
Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore welcomed the use of the technology, saying he believed it had "huge potential to bring criminals to justice and prevent crime".
He added: "Anything we can do to keep Suffolk safe by protecting homes and business has my full support."