Live facial recognition

The specific purpose for Live Facial Recognition deployment is:

To support Policing in the identification of persons wanted for priority offences, to support law enforcement including the administration of justice (through arrest of persons wanted on warrant or unlawfully at large/ recall to prison), and to ensure and promote the safeguarding of children and vulnerable persons at risk.

Future deployments

• Southend - Sunday 13 October 2024
• Southend - Monday 14 October 2024
• Southend - Friday 18 October 2024
• Southend - Saturday 19 October 2024
• Southend - Monday 21 October 2024

Previous deployments

Are all facial profiles that are captured, stored for any length of time? Can only suspects and wanted people be identified, or does it use other sources of facial profiles in addition to police records?

If you are not on a watchlist we will never store your biometric data. It is immediately and automatically deleted. In addition, Essex Police will delete all alerts immediately after using them or within 24 hrs. The CCTV footage used by the technology, is recorded, and kept for up to 31 days. If there is an incorrect alert, the information and image will be deleted straight away.

What is the list of faces that are used to compare during the deployment?

This is a watch list for deployments which contain details of people who are wanted for crimes, subject to court orders or pose a risk to the public. Unless you are on the watch list you cannot be matched. When the technology finds a possible match, an alert is generated.

Any alerts are verified by an operator prior to an intervention by officers on the ground. The system will only seek to match those individuals placed on the watch list. Each watch list is unique to that event where the technology is being deployed.

What is meant by deleting "no alert" images and biometric data immediately if CCTV footage is kept for 31 days?

This relates to biometric data so for people who don’t cause an alert. The biometric data is automatically and immediately deleted. For those images that cause an alert, these are deleted within 24 hours.

What about privacy rights and the legality of live facial recognition technology?

The use of live facial recognition technology by Essex Police is designed to be responsible, proportionate, and fair. It aims to keep the public safe, identifying serious offenders and protecting the vulnerable. Essex Police uses transparency that demonstrates effectiveness, proportionality and compliance with legislation and guidelines when deploying live facial recognition technology.

Can I opt out if I'm a law-abiding citizen?

Only persons who are wanted or suspect will be on an authorised watch list, and they are unable to opt out. If you wish to physically avoid a deployment this is not grounds on its own for us to have any interaction with you. We will always publish the dates and locations of a deployment several days in advance, except in very exceptional circumstances.

Will there be any data kept on file and if so, how do we apply for access to that data?

Images/biometric data of those who don’t cause an alert are automatically and immediately deleted. Images which cause an alert are deleted immediately after using them, or within 24 hrs. CCTV footage that's used by the LFR technology is recorded and kept for 31 days.

Is the live facial recognition technology discriminatory in any way?

Historically there have been issues with Facial Recognition Technology and potential gender and ethnic bias. As the technology has developed over time this bias has reduced greatly.

Following work by South Wales Police, the Met, and the National Physics Laboratory, a report has been produced which gives an impartial, scientifically underpinned and evidence-based analysis of the performance of the facial recognition algorithm currently used by the Metropolitan Police Service and South Wales Police. As a result:

• There is now a better understand the demographic performance of the LFR system. There are settings the algorithm can be operated at where there is no statistical significance between demographic performance.
  
  
• That there was no demographic performance variation for Retrospective Facial Recognition (RFR); and
  
  
• That there was no demographic performance variation for OIFR

Is the data being passed on to other parties?

We will never pass biometric data to third party agencies.

All CCTV footage generated from a mobile CCTV deployment is deleted within 31 days, in the following examples when it is retained:

• In accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018, MOPI and the Criminal Procedures and Investigations Act 1996; and /or
  
  
• In accordance with Essex Police’s complaints / conduct investigation policies.

Can you tell us roughly what percentage of facial captures are recognised by the system? Also, what facial database do you use to compare images against?

This percentage can vary and is impacted by several factors including the scope of the watch list and how many people pass through the zone of recognition for the camera.