Live facial recognition to be used across county

A police force is preparing to use live facial recognition (LFR) technology for the first time to identify individuals wanted by the courts and police, as well as those who pose the greatest risk to public safety.

Cambridgeshire Police said the cameras would be deployed in Peterborough city centre on 16 May.

The system works by scanning faces from a live camera feed and comparing them in real time with a police watch list, which includes individuals with outstanding arrest warrants and high-risk offenders.

Assistant Chief Constable John Massey told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's Louise Hulland, that use of LFR demonstrated a commitment to keeping the public safe.

The technology maps key facial features into a biometric template to identify potential matches.

Any match is then reviewed by an officer, and all images and biometric data are deleted - either immediately or within 24 hours - if no further action is required.

ACC Massey added: "It is another tool at our disposal in our drive to reduce crime and create a safer county.

"While this capability is new to Cambridgeshire, it has been used across policing and security services for some time and has improved greatly, even outperforming its anticipated accuracy and success rate.

"We know the community will have a lot of questions about the use of advanced technology within policing and officers will be on hand to engage with the community and answer any queries they may have."

He added that, following a review of the data collected in May, it could be deployed again in June to better understand its effectiveness and determine how it can be used in different locations.

Police and Crime Commissioner Darryl Preston said: "I know that officers will be working hard to ensure the necessary protections for the public are in place and observed so that this potent crime fighting and crime prevention tool can be used appropriately and effectively to protect us all."

Do you have a story suggestion for Peterborough? Contact us below.

Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.