Police officers in South Wales and Gwent are to become the first in the UK to use hand-held facial recognition technology to identify wanted suspects in real time.
The app - known as Operator Initiated Facial Recognition - will be used by 70 officers from South Wales Police and Gwent Police over a three-month trial period.
South Wales Police say the new app will enable officers to confirm the identity of a wanted suspect almost instantly, even if that suspect provides false or misleading details. The app aims to quickly resolve cases of mistaken identity without the need for a police station visit or custody suite.
The new app comes comes a year after the Court of Appeal ruled South Wales Police's use of facial recognition cameras as unlawful. You can read more stories on crime here.
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Police say that facial recognition is just one way in which technological advancements are being used across South Wales and Gwent forces to reduce cases of mistaken identity and to keep communities safe.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Travis, of South Wales Police, said: "This new app means that with the taking of a single photograph which is then compared to the police database, officers can easily and quickly answer the question of 'Are you really the person we are looking for?'
"When dealing with a person of interest during their patrols in our communities, officers will be able to access instant information allowing them to identify whether the person stopped is, or is not, the person they need to speak to, without having to return to a police station.
"I want to stress that this new technology doesn't replace traditional means of identifying people and that our police officers will only be using the new technology in instances where it is both necessary and proportionate to do so with, as always, the end goal of keeping that particular individual, or the wider public, safe."
In 2019, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) expressed concerns about South Wales Police taking a blanket approach to facial recognition by using the equipment at large events - particularly at rowdy events such as football games. The technology works by scanning faces in crowds which are then compared with a "watchlist" of images, which is made by police and includes suspects or people of interest.
A watchdog also raised questions about how people's faces end up on its database, as well as possible inaccuracies, but over the years, new algorithms have significantly improved the accuracy of such technology.
In 2017, facial recognition wrongly identified 2,000 people as possible criminals when the Champions League final came to Cardiff. By 2018, after new algorithms were implemented, just 10 out of 44,468 faces scanned during the Biggest Weekend event in Swansea were false matches.
Addressing scrutiny, South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Alun Michael said: "I undertake close scrutiny of the operational decisions on the introduction of technology and subject each new step to independent oversight and scrutiny because of the ethical and social concerns that have been expressed over the use of facial recognition technology. People want to know that members of the public who have done nothing wrong are not being subjected to inappropriate surveillance and that their privacy will be fully respected and protected.
"However, people also want us to keep them safe and to use the technology to apprehend people who have committed serious offences and take them off the streets. As a result of our robust systems of scrutiny and challenge I can provide assurance to the public that we are getting that balance right. We are committed to protecting human rights as well as keeping the public safe.
"It's important to remember that police officers have always been able to spot a person who is wanted for a crime and stop them in the street. The difference with the use of this technology is simply the speed and accuracy with which the individual can be identified and arrested and the speed with which a person who is not wanted by the police can be allowed to go on their way."
During the Court of Appeal hearing in August 2020 that deemed South Wales Police's use of facial recognition cameras as unlawful, civil rights campaigner Ed Bridges said: "I'm delighted that the court has agreed that facial recognition clearly threatens our rights.
"This technology is an intrusive and discriminatory mass surveillance tool.
"For three years now South Wales Police has been using it against hundreds of thousands of us, without our consent and often without our knowledge. We should all be able to use our public spaces without being subjected to oppressive surveillance."
Gwent police however pointed out that the new app will be valuable in protecting vulnerable or missing people, as well as those who are seriously injured or unconscious.
Assistant Chief Constable Ian Roberts, of Gwent Police, said: "Embracing technology and innovation is an important part of policing and how we continue to keep people safe. This new mobile app will be a valuable tool to help officers to identify vulnerable or missing people, saving time and reuniting loved ones quicker.
"This tool can also provide identification of someone who is unconscious or seriously injured and unable to communicate who they are. By using this technology we are preventing harm, helping those in need and keeping our communities safe."
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