Deputy Mayor addresses North Yorkshire Police's plan to use facial recognition technology
Assurances sought regarding civil liberties
Jo Coles, Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime, has released a statement concerning North Yorkshire Police's potential use of live facial recognition cameras.
In a statement Jo Coles says: 'The responses to these issues may not reassure everyone and I know that some people are opposed to any 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 keep people safe - provided this is done responsibly and with robust safeguards.
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 will also be seeking further assurances in my regular meetings with North Yorkshire Police and am also planning to ensure the concerns 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 these processes.'
It follow North Yorkshire Police saying they are looking at using the tech. Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Ben Moseley, who is leading on the roll-out of Live Facial Recognition 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.”
In a statement the force added: 'LFR will be used in carefully selected, intelligence‑led locations 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 above. 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. Images that do not match the watchlist are deleted immediately and permanently. The watchlist itself is deleted at the conclusion of each deployment.'