Greater Manchester Police are going to be using Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology .
The Home Office has supplied them with two LFR vans for use in areas where an operational need has been identified – not exclusively but areas with crime issues and large footfall, as well as music and sporting events.
The cameras will focus on a specific area or crowd and detect faces compared to a pre-prepared watchlist with an alert issued immediately if there is a match.
GMP will first deploy the vans on 21 and 23 October in Sale town centre.
Images will be deleted the with alerts immediately after using them or within 24 hours.
The images and biometric data of those who don’t cause an alert are automatically and immediately deleted.
Police will record the CCTV footage that is used by the LFR technology, and will keep it for 31 days subject to any requirements under CPIA and MOPI.
Assistant Chief Constable Rick Jackson said: “At GMP, we use traditional policing tools but also embrace new and developing technology.
‘This is a really good example of police officers and technology working hand-in-hand and will bolster our Neighbourhood Policing operation.
“LFR can be used in a number of ways, including to prevent and detect crime, find wanted criminals, safeguard vulnerable people, and to protect people from harm.
“It will also free up officers to respond to emergencies, spend time patrolling within their communities and investigating crime.
“It is a precise and targeted tool, only identifying specific individuals who have been added to a bespoke watchlist and will significantly speed up the process of identifying people at risk or wanted by police.
“It’s important that we dispel any myths around LFR and to be open and transparent with members of the public – it is not a ‘mass surveillance’ tool and law-abiding members of the public have nothing to fear if they see one our vans.
“We are committed to using it responsibly, transparently, and in full compliance with the law.”
LFR has been successfully used by the Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police since 2017, first deployed in the UK at the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Juventus in Cardiff, and is being trialled at several forces including GMP, Hampshire, Essex and Bedfordshire.
In August 2024, use of LFR was endorsed by the Greater Manchester Independent Police Ethics Committee.
ACC Jackson added: “We have undertaken a robust process to ensure appropriate people wanted for criminal offences are contained in the lists we use for facial recognition
“There are strict criteria around the necessity and proportionality of the use of facial recognition before it can be deployed in the community.
“You will see the vans out and about on the streets of Greater Manchester and they can be used at big, live events like festivals, concerts and football matches.
“We encourage members of the public to come and view the vans when they are operational in the community understand how they operate and speak to officers around the safeguards in place.
“If you do happen to walk past one of our cameras and you’re not a match, your biometric data is immediately deleted. There is no recording or rewind facility.
“LFR has been used with great success at other forces and we will draw on their experiences to make sure it a success in Greater Manchester.”
