Policing minister Chris Philp has called on police forces in England and Wales to double their use of retrospective facial recognition technology over the next six months. In a letter to force leaders, he suggested a target of more than 200,000 searches of still images against the police national database by May.
Philp also encouraged wider deployment of live facial recognition (LFR) cameras, which scan crowds against watchlists of wanted suspects. This push comes ahead of a global artificial intelligence safety summit at Bletchley Park next week. The minister claimed the technology would allow police to “stay one step ahead of criminals” and make streets safer.
Essex Police recently began trialling LFR in Chelmsford and Southend, reporting three arrests, including one on suspicion of rape, after five positive alerts. However, campaign group Big Brother Watch described the technology as “dangerous authoritarian surveillance” and a threat to civil liberties.
Philp has also proposed integrating passport photos into the police national database to allow one-click searches. A cross-party group of MPs and peers, including former Brexit secretary David Davis and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, has called for an “immediate stop” to LFR use by police and private companies.
The Home Office defends the technology, stating it is strictly governed by data protection and human rights laws, and can only be used when necessary and proportionate. Officials argue that AI surveillance can help identify serious criminals and find missing people, while freeing up police time. Notices are put up in areas where LFR is used, and data is deleted if no match is found.
