Facial Recognition Vans to Patrol Leeds City Centre
Facial recognition vans are being deployed in Leeds city centre for the first time as part of a wider police pilot scheme. The technology, which scans faces in real time and checks them against a database of wanted individuals, has prompted both support and concern among residents. Police say the system will help locate offenders and missing people, while critics question its accuracy and the implications for privacy.
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New facial recognition vans were deployed for the first time on Tuesday the 11th November, and have been met with both praise and resistance
The vans scan the public faces in real time and compare them against the database of wanted individuals. If a match is found, the system generates an alert for police to act on. The facial recognition will be used to identify offenders and locate missing people.
West Yorkshire Police said ‘Launched last week, Live Facial Recognition is a new tool used by the force to target wanted offenders. It can also be used to help locate missing people. Use of the technology is part of our ongoing commitment to keeping our communities safe and bringing offenders to justice.’
The first arrest aided by the facial recognition vans was made on Friday, after the technology generated an alert for a man that was wanted for theft.
Officers subsequently approached the man and when searched the stolen items were in his possession. He was arrested and taken into custody.
Concerns from the public have been raised over false recognitions, criminals avoiding recognitions using techniques such as balaclavas to cover their faces, and improper deleted data.
Chief inspector Dan Tillot said ‘It’s important for me to say now this isn’t about mass surveillance. The system doesn’t store images of anyone walking by. It is only looking for matches against a specific watch list and if there is no match, the data is instantly deleted. You will see it where there is a higher risk and known offenders are present. Its just another tool to help us do our job more effectively’
Taking to social media to ‘bust myths’ around the facial recognition technology, Inspector Tillot said, ‘we want people to know about it, it’s certainly not a secret’
Further he said, ‘the system has been tested thoroughly and it is performing really well, plus we have safeguards in place to make sure it operates fairly and accurately. The tech doesn’t make arrests, officers do and every real alert is checked by a trained officer before any action is taken.’
West Yorkshire is not the only area trialling this technology to take the streets, it is part of an extensive pilot programme with vans being rolled out across Greater Manchester, Bedfordshire, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and Hampshire.
Speaking to The Gryphon, one student said, “I don’t mind at all that they are using technology and scanning our faces, especially if it means catching criminals. Sometimes I don’t feel safe in the city centre especially at night so if the vans will be there then I think I will feel safer, even just with a larger police presence.”
The two vans are expected to make another appearance on Briggate this weekend.