Scottish public split over use of live facial recognition by Police Scotland

The Scottish public are split over the use of live facial recognition (LFR) technology by police in Scotland. LFR uses AI to identify people in a digital image such as a photo or video.

According to a new survey, 49 percent of Scots are “somewhat or very comfortable” with the use of the technology, while 48 percent would be “somewhat or very uncomfortable.”

However, Police Scotland stressed that a formal public consultation using recognized polling methodologies would need to be undertaken before a decision is made.

Detective chief superintendent Gordon McCreadie commented: “Let me make it clear, in respect of the public survey, this was an open survey. It was a survey in which anybody could participate. It’s not representative.”

McCreadie said the survey indicated that 30 percent of those polled would feel “more comfortable” if the technology was used in “specific circumstances.” These circumstances include where the risk of sexual offending or violence against women are deemed high; in the cases of vulnerable or missing people where LFR would be deployed in transport hubs; and for indoor events that could be potential targets for terrorism.

In these scenarios, which were set out by the police, the public showed a more receptive view with the survey showing 60, 59 and 60 percent of those polled respectively being “somewhat or very comfortable” with the use of the technology. However, in a qualitative part of the study, where the police asked for public comments, the feedback was that the technology should not be used, according to reporting by Future Scot.

Scottish police appear to be in favor of bringing in the controversial technology, as The Times reported a senior officer saying as much. Steven Johnson, assistant chief constable, said he would introduce facial recognition technology “tomorrow,” even as rights groups and experts advise caution.

The public poll conducted by Police Scotland caps a “national conversation” the force has conducted over the past 12 months, with 26 organizations taking part. Among them civil liberties groups the Scottish Human Rights Commission, the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights, and Big Brother Watch have been leading the case against the technology.

In a summary paper, Scottish police pointed to concerns around accuracy in identifying people, breaching people’s right to privacy and freedom of expression, bias in how LFR technology identifies people, as being among the human rights and ethical considerations.

The Equality Network has urged Police Scotland not to adopt the technology with concerns over disproportionate impact and the potential negative impact of LFR on LGBTQIA+ people.

In another survey, the Scottish public’s attitudes to police use of biometrics data showed only “modest” improvement. The Scottish Biometrics Commissioner carried out a 2025 survey and found some instances of slight improvement in levels of public confidence in the use of biometrics data and technologies for policing and criminal justice purposes in Scotland.

Much like the rest of the UK, Scotland currently lacks a unified legal framework for regulating the technology.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  live facial recognition  |  police  |  real-time biometrics  |  Scotland  |  Scottish Biometrics Commissioner