A pilot of reside facial recognition know-how in south London has helped lower crime and led to greater than 100 arrests, in accordance with the Metropolitan Police, because the pressure prepares to defend its use of the know-how within the Excessive Court docket.
The three-month trial in Croydon, which started in October, marked the primary time the Met has deployed fastened reside facial recognition (LFR) cameras mounted on road furnishings moderately than utilizing cellular vans. Fifteen cameras have been put in alongside two sections of North Finish, one of many borough’s busiest procuring streets.
The Met mentioned the system has been deployed on 13 events throughout the pilot, with cameras solely switched on when officers are current. Throughout that interval, 103 arrests have been made, with police claiming just one false alert, which didn’t lead to an arrest.
Based on the pressure, round a 3rd of these arrests have been linked to offences in opposition to girls and ladies, together with sexual assault and strangulation. Different arrests included people wished for kidnap, breach of sexual hurt prevention orders, and long-outstanding assault circumstances.
Superintendent Luke Dillon mentioned general crime within the Fairfield ward fell by 12 per cent throughout the pilot interval, with notable reductions in shoplifting and theft. He added that the fastened digicam setup allowed officers to function extra effectively, with arrests made on common each 34 minutes throughout deployments.
The know-how works by mapping facial options and evaluating them in opposition to police watchlists. The Met mentioned biometric information referring to members of the general public who are usually not wished by police is straight away deleted.
Nonetheless, the trial comes amid rising scrutiny of police use of facial recognition. Subsequent week, the pressure faces a Excessive Court docket problem over its deployment of LFR after a person was wrongly recognized and stopped close to London Bridge final 12 months. Civil liberties campaigners argue the know-how poses critical dangers to privateness and lacks a transparent legislative framework.
The Equality and Human Rights Fee, which has been granted permission to intervene within the case, has mentioned the Met’s present use of LFR breaches human rights legislation. The pressure has mentioned it’s assured the know-how is getting used lawfully and proportionately, and insists it has examined its algorithms for bias.
Regardless of describing LFR as a “game-changing” crime-fighting device, the Met mentioned there are presently no plans to broaden the fixed-camera pilot past Croydon.
Tony Kounnis, chief government of Face Int UK & Europe, mentioned the outcomes highlighted the potential of facial recognition when deployed responsibly.
“This can be a sturdy endorsement of what facial recognition know-how can ship as accuracy improves,” he mentioned. “However it’s important that oversight, transparency and information safety stay central. With out that, there’s a actual threat of eroding public belief, no matter the advantages.”
