Chelmsford: Live facial recognition to be deployed in the city

We will be using live facial recognition in Chelmsford on Friday October 4.

The technology will be in place in the city centre for one day and will be the 13th deployment of the Essex-Police owned kit.

The deployment will be used on Friday 4 October as part of our commitment to arresting people who have committed offences and is one of a raft of tactics we use in the county to keep people safe.

We use the technology to find people wanted for serious offences, to help enforce orders against those whose faces are put on a ‘watch list’ and to protect those who are vulnerable and at risk of harm.

If your face is not on the watch list, the technology deletes your image in a fraction of a second. It is not retained in any way and is not stored on any database.

The technology was deployed last week in Basildon and has been used by the force a total of 12 times, resulting in key arrests.

Since the first use of the technology just over a month ago, it has helped us to make a total of 21 arrests.

The technology has helped us locate people wanted for offences such as sexual abuse, domestic violence, aggravated burglary and assault.

Inspector Sam Girdlestone from Chelmsford and Maldon Community Policing Team said:

“We have already seen a number of key arrests made in serious investigations since this kit was first deployed in the county.
"This technology will support the work we are already doing in the area to identify those wanted for serious offending.
"Using innovative technology alongside our patrols will be a real asset to our investigative work.
"Criminals who have committed serious offences cannot walk freely around our communities."

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