Police to ramp up facial recognition technology

MINISTERS are seeking to ramp up police use of facial recognition to fight crime, and are asking people how it should be used to form new laws.

- ANAHITA HOSSEIN-POUR Press Association

MINISTERS are seeking to ramp up police use of facial recognition to fight crime, and are asking people how it should be used to form new laws.

A 10-week consultation is being launched to ask for views on how the technology should be regulated and how to protect people's privacy.

The Government is also proposing to create a regulator to oversee police use of facial recognition, biometrics and other tools and is collecting opinions on what powers it should have.

Policing minister Sarah Jones described facial recognition as the "biggest breakthrough for catching criminals since DNA matching", saying that it has already helped catch thousands of criminals.

"We will expand its use so that forces can put more criminals behind bars and tackle crime in their communities," she said.