Merseyside Police prepares first live facial recognition deployment in Liverpool

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Merseyside Police says the technology will help identify high-harm offenders more quickly, with strict safeguards in place to protect privacy as the system begins operating in Liverpool City Centre.

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00:00For anyone walking through Liverpool City Centre, the sight of specially marked police

00:05fans using live cameras will be hard to miss. Merseyside Police says this is the start of

00:11its live facial recognition programme designed to spot individuals wanted for serious offences

00:16subject to court orders or considered a risk to the public or themselves.

00:20The first deployment takes place on Monday 15th December. According to Merseyside Police,

00:25the technology works by comparing faces captured on a live feed with a secure watchlist.

00:32If the system suggests a possible match, officers on the ground will then look at the image themselves

00:36and decide whether to speak to that person. The force stresses the decision will always be made

00:42by an officer, not by the software. Privacy protection forms a core part of the rollout.

00:48The force's biometric data from anyone not on a watchlist is also must have been deleted as they

00:52passed through the recognition zone. Watchlist images are removed within 24 hours of each

00:56deployment day and any CCTV footage is deleted within 31 days in line with standard public

01:01camera rules. Assistant Chief Constable Jennifer Wilson describes live facial recognition as

01:07a vital tool that can help locate high-harm offenders quickly, strengthen neighbourhood policing

01:11and protect the most vulnerable. She says the public are encouraged to speak with officers

01:16at the vans and learn more about how the safeguards work. Merseyside Police says deployments will

01:22be targeted, intelligence-led and subject to independent oversight to ensure the approach

01:27remains responsible and proportionate. The force adds that live facial recognition has already

01:32been used by the Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police and is currently being trialled

01:37across several forces including GMP, Sussex, Hampshire, Essex and Bedfordshire.

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