Cardiff expands live facial recognition for Six Nations championships

Police in the capital of Wales are planning to deploy additional live facial recognition cameras during this year’s Six Nations rugby championship.

The sporting event kicks off on Sunday, February 22nd, and is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to Cardiff’s stadiums, pubs and bars. The five temporary cameras will be placed across the city center in “Zones of Safety,” scanning and comparing faces with a predetermined watchlist, according to the South Wales Police.

Part of its public safety strategy is to advertise the deployment of the technology to deter crime but also to provide transparency for the public.

“We understand the concerns which are raised about the use of facial recognition technology but it is important to remember that it has never resulted in a wrongful arrest and there have been no false alerts for several years as the technology and our understanding has evolved,” says Assistant Chief Constable Trudi Meyrick.

The police force has previously deployed facial recognition during events in Cardiff, including Beyonce’s concert. During one concert, the police identified members of an organized crime group specializing in stealing phones at music events, arresting one suspect after matching them through the watchlist. The event concluded with no reported mobile phone thefts.

If the Six Nations trial is successful, the concept could be used at other major events in South Wales, the police say.

In December, the police unit became among the first in the UK to use mobile apps with facial recognition. The so-called operator-initiated facial recognition (OIFR) allows law enforcement to photograph a person’s face with a mobile phone and match it to a predetermined database.

The London Metropolitan Police has also found success in using facial recognition, arresting a total of 540 individuals last year thanks to the technology.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  criminal ID  |  facial recognition  |  police  |  real-time biometrics  |  South Wales Police  |  UK  |  Wales