The Metropolitan Police’s plan to extend the use of live facial recognition (LFR) cameras breaches human rights law, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has said.
The watchdog said the use of the cameras could have a ‘chilling effect’ on individuals’ rights if and when deployed.
It comes as London’s police force finalised plans to roll out the technology at Notting Hill Carnival this weekend.
Last year’s event was ‘marred by unacceptable violence’, senior officers said, after Cher Maximen died after being stabbed in front of her three-year-old daughter.
Mussie Imnetu, a Dubai based chef, was randomly attacked and sustained fatal head injuries.
Officers hope the cameras, which are mostly attached to vans, will help control crime at the event as they scan faces and match them to criminal databases.
Officers say the use of LFR has led to 1,000 arrests and 773 charges, but campaigners say the UK’s capital is entering a new era of total surveillance.
‘The Metropolitan Police’s policy falls short’
The EHRC has been given permission to intervene in a judicial review over the cameras, brought by Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch and Shaun Thompson.
Shaun, an anti-knife crime campaigner, was wrongly identified as a criminal by the cameras, describing it as ‘gross mistreatment’.
John Kirkpatrick, the EHRC’s chief executive, said: ‘The law is clear: everyone has the right to privacy, to freedom of expression and to freedom of assembly.
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‘These rights are vital for any democratic society. As such, there must be clear rules which guarantee that live facial recognition technology is used only where necessary, proportionate and constrained by appropriate safeguards.
How do live facial recognition (LFR) cameras work?
The process starts by identifying a face in a still image or video – picking out which pixels make up a face and which are the body, background or something else.
It then maps the face, such as measuring the distance between certain features, to create a ‘numerical expression’ for an individual.
This can then be quickly compared to large databases to try to find a match from faces that have already been mapped.
‘We believe that the Metropolitan Police’s current policy falls short of this standard.
‘The Met, and other forces using this technology, need to ensure they deploy it in ways which are consistent with the law and with human rights.’
But not everyone is displeased at the thought of the cameras.
What do Londoners think of the cameras?
Just last year, Croydon was named as the violence hotspot of London – with more than 10,000 violent crimes recorded in a single 12-month period.
And it has now been named as the first spot in democratic world to have permanent LFR cameras.
Akosua Murphy, 60, has lived in the borough for 17 years, is relieved more is being done to make the area safe once again.
The cleaning lady told Metro: ‘Every day I pray my grandchildren come home safe, crime is out of control – we saw what happened to Elianne Adnam and she was just an innocent girl.
‘I used to work at East Croydon station, and I’ve seen young people stabbing each other.
‘It’s only getting worse, the high street is a mess.’
Shannon Kirwin, 20, helps run her family’s food van Old Skool Food, said she welcomes the crime reduction after seeing so many youths ‘go for each other’.
She told Metro: ‘I have sat in this food van, and I have seen gangs just pull out weapons on each other right in front of me – the place has gone down massively over the last decade.
‘But all the ones who are committing crimes are wearing balaclavas and face coverings, is there even any point to the cameras if they can’t see through that.’
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