Suffolk Police scan 64,000 faces with live facial recognition

Summarised from 2 outlets · 3 reports · Updated 14 Nov, 12:31 · Archive

Suffolk Police scanned more than 64,000 faces using live facial recognition technology during public deployments in Lowestoft, Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich from November 3 to 5. The operation aimed to locate individuals wanted in connection with criminal investigations. Officers used watchlists totalling more than 2,500 people and reported that every alert generated was accurate, with no false positives recorded.

In Lowestoft, the system scanned 9,147 faces against a watchlist of 768 individuals, resulting in two arrests. One person was arrested for an alleged breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order; the other for shop theft. In Bury St Edmunds, 26,033 faces were scanned but no arrests were made. In Ipswich, 29,120 faces were checked, resulting in police action against four individuals for offences including sexual assault, affray, failing to appear at court, and theft.

Sergeant Anthony Welford, who oversaw the deployments, said: 'Live Facial Recognition continues to prove its value as a policing tool by helping us locate people we are actively seeking and enabling officers to take swift and proportionate action.' He added that images of individuals who did not generate an alert were automatically and immediately deleted and were not retained. Tim Passmore, Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk, welcomed the use of the technology in policing.

How it is being reported

• More than 64,000 faces scanned by Suffolk police as criminals spottedSuffolk Police scanned 64,000 faces with live facial recognition in Lowestoft, Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich from November 3-5, generating four accurate alerts.Ipswich Star · 14 Nov, 12:00
• More than 64,000 faces scanned by Suffolk police as criminals spottedSuffolk Police scanned 64,000 faces with live facial recognition in Lowestoft, Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich from November 3-5, generating four accurate alerts.East Anglian Daily Times · 14 Nov, 12:00
• Police scan more than 9,000 faces in town — but how many were arrested?Two arrests have been made after police scanned more than 9,000 faces in Lowestoft town centre.East Anglian Daily Times · 14 Nov, 06:00

In this story: Suffolk Police · Lowestoft · Bury St Edmunds · Ipswich · Anthony Welford · Tim Passmore

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log