UK police report facial recognition deters crime, saves money, gains public trust

In Hampshire and Isle of Wight, facial recognition is being used to identify suspects caught on camera, resulting in more arrests, according to an announcement. It is part of the Retail Crime Action led by Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones and Chief Constable Scott Chilton, resulting in an 83.3 percent increase in outcomes for victims.

Police are also working more closely with retailers through the Op Stopall, which uses facial recognition to identify and build comprehensive evidence against the most prolific offenders. Due to the amount of evidence provided, more offenders are pleading guilty, resulting in fewer court hearings.

So far, Op Stopall has resulted in 248 reported offenses. Ten offenders have been charged with 176 offenses, while another five are under investigation for the other 72 offenses.

The initiative is enabling officers to improve their response and service to victims by building stronger cases which result in fewer court hearings because offenders are pleading guilty at the first opportunity due to the amount of evidence against them.

Another aim is to deter the rise in violence against retail staff.

The increase in reporting across the two counties demonstrates an increased public confidence in policing, says Jones.

Wales police used facial recognition at a Beyonce concert in Cardiff back in May of last year. No matches or arrests took place.

Part of the public safety strategy was to advertise the deployment of the technology to deter crime and to catch offenders, according to South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Alun Michael in a correspondence to Stephen Crabb, Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee.

The watchlist used included registered sex offenders and persons of interest in terrorist activity (in light of the Manchester Arena bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in 2017).

By advertising its use, the media further publicized the tech’s presence through criticisms, creating an opportunity for the commissioner to respond to widespread public opinion on how such operations would protect civil liberties while simultaneously protecting the public, he says in his response.

The decision was also a means to disrupt organized crime at public events, such as when 216 cell phones were stolen within four gigs during Slipknot’s 2020 UK tour. One arrest was made, and another identified person escaped.

“Based on the theft at the previous events, without the preventative deployment, South Wales Police would have probably have had to investigate the theft of some 54 phones at a cost of £12,744 (roughly US$16,290),” he claims, with total cost savings to society estimated at £439,668 ($562,250).

South Wales Police’s live facial recognition was only deployed overtly with identifiable vehicles and conspicuous signage. The police do not store biometric data and a human operator reviews the information.

Overall, the police have made 75 arrests across 80 different occasions where the technology was deployed. He claims that no false arrests were made.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  criminal ID  |  facial recognition  |  police  |  South Wales Police