Southampton extends use of Reveal live facial recognition bodycams by bouncers

Southampton Business Crime Partnership (SBCP), managed by GO! Southampton, has received additional funding for live facial recognition technology on body-worn cameras from Reveal. An extra £2,243 will extend the facial recognition scheme following a three-month trial across seven venues.

The body-worn cameras with facial recognition were first deployed for a trial launched in 2023 by the Business Improvement District (BID) in collaboration with Synergy Security and local businesses.

The scheme employs Reveal’s digital evidence management system, DEMS 360, which is used by approximately 70 percent of UK police forces. This system helps identify offenders excluded from Southampton’s evening and night time economy venues via the Red Card scheme.

This initiative was introduced after businesses discovered that previous offenders were still accessing night-time venues using fake IDs or due to human error.

Jade McCauley, operations manager at GO! Southampton, expresses gratitude for the funding, especially the support from PCC Donna Jones for the biometrics trial initiated by the SBCP.

Donna Jones, police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police, says: “Anti-social behavior casts a dangerous shadow over many of our communities. Severely impacting the quality of life for residents, it also threatens livelihoods and negatively imprints on the wider community as a whole.

“These devastating incidents can often be precursors to more serious criminal offenses. By providing this additional funding for diversionary activities and projects, this can be addressed and challenged at the outset.”

In 2021, it was reported that British police forces were testing retrospective facial recognition software from Reveal. At that time, Reveal provided bodycams to police officers in 30 out of the 43 police forces across England and Wales.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  body cam  |  facial recognition  |  Reveal  |  video surveillance