Live facial recognition cameras will be rolled out in new areas across England as part of a crime crackdown.
A fleet of vans kitted with the facial recognition technology will be rolled out in seven new areas in the UK over the coming weeks.
The technology, which scans faces and compares them against a database of criminals and suspects of serious crimes, is already in use across London.
The Home Office announced the names of police forces where the technology will be deployed on the streets to catch ‘high-harm’ offenders.
Ten camera vans will soon patrol across Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and Hampshire.
Facial surveillance vans are already in use across the South Wales Police, Essex and Met Police areas.
The Home Office said the move would roughly double the number of facial recognition vans in use, but declined to confirm how many are currently used on UK streets.
Each police force will decide how and when the vans are used in their areas, with each van manned by a trained officer.
Current rules limit police use of facial recognition cameras.
The law only allows the checks to be done against police watchlists of wanted criminals, suspects and people on bail or court order conditions like sex offenders.
But this could change as the government is looking to consult on a new legal framework this autumn, including when and how the technology should be deployed.
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, insisted that the vans will focus on sex offenders or ‘people wanted for the most serious crimes who the police have not been able to find.’
She said: ‘The algorithm being used in the vans has been independently tested and will only be operated in specific circumstances and with robust oversight.’
However, the facial recognition vans have been labelled as ‘dystopian’ by privacy campaigners.
There have been concerns that the cameras could mistake an innocent person for a criminal.
Rebecca Vincent, the interim director of Big Brother Watch, said: ‘This unprecedented escalation in the use of facial recognition technology across the UK is alarming, and represents a significant expansion of the surveillance state. Live facial recognition turns every passerby into a walking barcode and treats us all as a nation of suspects.
‘Police have interpreted the absence of any legislative basis authorising the use of this intrusive technology as carte blanche to continue to roll it out unfettered, despite the fact that a crucial judicial review on the matter is pending.
‘This move is not only worrying for our privacy rights, it is worrying for our democracy. The Home Office must scrap its plans to roll out further live facial recognition capacity until robust legislative safeguards are established.’
Chief Superintendent Tim Morgan from South Wales Police assured that the technology would be used ‘ethically’ and that police forces ‘spend time and effort making sure it’s deployed in line with al legislation and guidance.’
Alongside the new vans, the government also announced 13,000 more officers in communities by 2029.
How live facial recognition 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.
A ‘named, contactable’ officer will be assigned to handle reports of crimes in every neighbourhood in England and Wales.
The Home Secretary said: ‘Neighbourhood policing has been decimated over the last 15 years, but through our Plan for Change we are turning the corner, starting with town and city centres.
‘Within the next year, we will have 3,000 new neighbourhood officers and PCSOs in place, which is a big shift. We also want them to have more powers to tackle off-road bikes, shop theft, street theft and other crimes that have blighted some of our town and city centres, so everyone can feel safe in their own town.’
Some Londoners have welcomed the introduction of the surveillance vans in Croydon, where the UK’s first, permanent camera was installed on a lampost.
Shannon Kirwin, 20, who helps run her family’s food van, Old Skool Food, said she welcomed the crime reduction after seeing ‘gangs just pull out weapons on each other right in front of me.’
‘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,’ she added.
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