Police National Database Facial Recognition Searches in 2024
Publication Number: 1572
FOI Number: 21396
Information Request
I am writing to request the following information relating to PND Facial Recognition Searches:
- The number of PND facial recognition searches conducted by your force in each month of 2024
- A monthly breakdown of the reason for these searches
- For searches of images of criminal suspects, a monthly breakdown of the offence types searched for.
FOI Duty
First Duty – Essex Police does hold information relating to your request.
Second Duty – See below.
Fact – Accurate data is not available for all of 2024.
Exemption – This disclosure is subject to the exemption Section 40(2) Personal Information – this is an absolute exemption.
Essex Police can report as follows:
Caveat: The information is correct as at 30 January 2025.
Notes
- Accurate monthly data between January and April 2024 is not available as process changes caused inconsistencies.
- All searches are for Criminal suspects through this recorded medium.
- PND utilises retrospective facial recognition technology.
Numbers of Images Searched by Essex Police on PND by Month – May to December 2024
|
Month 2024 |
Images Searched on PND |
|
May |
282 |
|
June |
139 |
|
July |
233 |
|
August |
257 |
|
September |
248 |
|
October |
311 |
|
November |
263 |
|
December |
445 |
Numbers of Images Searched by Essex Police on PND by Offence Type – May to December 2024
|
Offence Type |
Searches |
|
Administer poison/noxious thing to injure/annoy (Indictable) |
2 |
|
Aggravated Burglary - Business And Community |
1 |
|
Arson endangering life (Indictable) |
1 |
|
Arson not endangering life |
8 |
|
ASB - Nuisance |
1 |
|
Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) |
41 |
|
Assault without Injury - Common assault and battery |
84 |
|
Attempted - Other criminal damage to a building - business and community (Under £5,000) |
1 |
|
Attempted - Other criminal damage to a residence (Under £5,000) |
1 |
|
Attempted - Robbery (Personal) (Indictable) |
2 |
|
Attempted - Theft from shops and stalls |
10 |
|
Attempted - Theft if not classified elsewhere |
2 |
|
Attempted - Theft of a motor vehicle |
1 |
|
Attempted - Wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm (Indictable) |
2 |
|
Attempted Burglary - Business And Community |
6 |
|
Attempted Residential Burglary of a Home (Dwelling) |
7 |
|
Attempted Residential Burglary of Unconnected Building (Non-Dwelling) |
1 |
|
Burglary - Business And Community |
44 |
|
Causing or inciting a female child under 16 to engage in sexual activity No Penetration - Offender 18 or over |
1 |
|
Committing or conspiring to commit, an act outraging public decency |
2 |
|
Communicating false information alleging presence of bomb |
1 |
|
Crime Investigation - Action fraud:- Call for Service |
22 |
|
Depositing, causing the deposition or permitting the deposition treating, keeping or disposing of controlled (but not special) waste in or on land without a licence |
1 |
|
Exposure |
4 |
|
Harassment - Putting people in fear of violence |
1 |
|
Harassment - without violence (course of conduct) |
13 |
|
Having an article with a blade or point in a public place |
1 |
|
Interference with a motor vehicle |
6 |
|
Kidnapping - Kidnapping (Indictable) |
3 |
|
Making off without payment |
47 |
|
Non Crime Investigation - Accosting |
2 |
|
Non crime Investigation - First instance of harassment |
2 |
|
Non crime Investigation - Unable to Confirm Crime has been committed |
12 |
|
Other criminal damage to a building - business and community (Under £5,000) |
23 |
|
Other criminal damage to a residence (Under £5,000) |
13 |
|
Other criminal damage to a vehicle (Under £5,000) |
1 |
|
Other criminal damage, other (Under £5,000) |
18 |
|
Other Miscellaneous Investigation |
1 |
|
Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control injuring any person or assistance dog |
2 |
|
Production or being concerned in production of a controlled drug - Class B - Cannabis |
3 |
|
Racially or religiously aggravated assault or assault occasioning actual bodily harm |
1 |
|
Racially or religiously aggravated common assault or beating |
3 |
|
Racially or religiously aggravated criminal damage |
6 |
|
Racially or religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress |
1 |
|
Racially or religiously aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress |
8 |
|
Rape of a female (16 or over) (Indictable) |
2 |
|
Rape of a male (16 or over) (Indictable) |
1 |
|
Residential Burglary of a Home (Dwelling) |
17 |
|
Residential Burglary of Unconnected Building (Non-Dwelling) |
16 |
|
Robbery (Business) (Indictable) |
28 |
|
Sec 4 POA Fear or provocation of violence |
9 |
|
Sec 4a POA Causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress |
40 |
|
Send communication threatening death or serious harm |
1 |
|
Send photograph or film of genitals to cause alarm distress or humiliation |
1 |
|
Sexual assault on a female |
5 |
|
Sharing or threatening to share intimate photograph or film to cause alarm, distress or humiliation, or for sexual gratification |
1 |
|
Stalking - Pursue course of conduct in breach of Sec 1 (1) which amounts to stalking |
1 |
|
Theft from a motor vehicle |
19 |
|
Theft from automatic machine or meter |
6 |
|
Theft from shops and stalls |
1137 |
|
Theft from the person of another |
23 |
|
Theft if not classified elsewhere |
82 |
|
Theft in a dwelling other than from automatic machine or meter |
3 |
|
Theft of a motor vehicle |
11 |
|
Theft of conveyance other than a motor or pedal cycle |
4 |
|
Theft of Mail |
1 |
|
Theft or Unauthorised Taking of a Pedal Cycle |
16 |
|
Threaten with an offensive weapon in a public place |
1 |
|
Threats to destroy or damage property |
2 |
|
Wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm (Indictable) |
27 |
No further details of the offence types by time period will be provided by virtue of the exemption Section 40(2) Personal Information as low numbers and granular information may identify individuals.
Every effort is made to ensure that the data provided by Essex Police is accurate and complete. However, Essex Police systems are designed primarily for the management of individual cases and not for the purposes of providing data to answer specific FOI enquiries. Please note although data can be extracted from a number of sources via database queries, the results may be subject to inaccuracies. Care should be taken to understand our return when considering the interpretation or further use of the data.