Two men have been arrested in Stockport town centre after facial recognition cameras triggered alerts for breaches of Sexual Harm Prevention Orders (SHPO). The arrests were made during a Live Facial Recognition (LFR) deployment on 12 August.
Deployment details
Officers deployed to the town with LFR equipment secured two arrests for breaches of SHPO. The deployment was part of the local neighbourhood team's wider work tackling reported issues within the town centre that have affected workers and visitors alike.
Across four hours, thousands of faces were scanned, with four triggering alerts. Images of faces that don't trigger an alert are automatically deleted within seconds.
Alerts and arrests
The force said: "Alerts are triggered for a pre-registered reason – such as when people are wanted, missing, or subject to an order. The four alerts yesterday were all for people with Sexual Harm Prevention Orders in place – with two men – aged 38 and 41 – subsequently being arrested on suspicion of breaching the conditions of their respective orders."
Additionally, specific operations, such as Operation Rimini, which aims to mitigate antisocial behaviour, have resulted in dozens of arrests and "countless" charges over the past year since first being put into action by the force.
Broader use of LFR
LFR has been used across all manner of events in Manchester – from concerts to football matches – and is often utilised in town centres to provide a further layer of security for local communities.
Inspector Jason Holmwood, from GMP's Stockport district, said: "Our Live Facial Recognition deployment in Stockport on 12 August delivered positive results, with two arrests made and a significant amount of constructive engagement with members of the public."
"The technology is a valuable tool that helps us locate wanted individuals and protect our communities, while officers remain on hand to explain how it works and answer any questions people may have."
"It was particularly encouraging to see the positive response from residents, businesses and visitors throughout the day. These conversations are an important part of ensuring transparency and building public confidence."
"LFR supports our neighbourhood policing activity by helping us target those who pose the greatest risk, while allowing officers to focus their time on keeping people safe and preventing crime."
