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By Martin Beckford Policy Editor For The Daily Mail
22:05 30 Jul 2023, updated 22:08 30 Jul 2023
- It comes as ministers have encouraged police to use the ‘big brother’ technology
- His face matched mugshot on watchlist of suspects wanted by police or courts
A wanted sex offender was caught among crowds at the Coronation using facial recognition cameras, it can be revealed.
It comes as ministers have encouraged police to use the ‘big brother’ technology.
The 33-year-old man was wanted on recall to prison when he walked past a hi-tech camera van close to Buckingham Palace on the day King Charles was crowned.
When the image of his face was scanned by Scotland Yard’s system, it matched a mugshot on a watchlist of suspects wanted by the police or courts. It set off an alert that led to his immediate arrest.
The operation has been hailed by ministers as further evidence of the benefits of live facial recognition (LFR) as a way of searching for known offenders, particularly at large public events.
Until now it has only been used regularly by two forces – the Met and South Wales Police – amid civil liberties concerns and legal challenges.
But the Government now wants it rolled out across the country.
In July the cameras were used at Silverstone by Northamptonshire Police as part of a major security plan amid fears that the British Grand Prix would be targeted by Just Stop Oil activists, but no arrests were made.
Police chiefs are set to be issued with national guidance on the effective and legal use of LFR soon, and could even receive central funding to purchase the kit needed.
The Home Office said last night: ‘Facial recognition plays a crucial role in helping the police tackle serious offences including murder, knife crime, rape, child sexual exploitation and terrorism.
‘New technology is key to more effective, efficient policing and we are keen to see more police forces use facial recognition, in a fair and proportionate way.’
Metropolitan Police figures show that 30,633 faces were seen by the LFR camera on Piccadilly on Coronation Day, May 6, with a further 17,250 scanned close to the Thames at Savoy Place and 20,578 near Waterloo.
The images were all compared against a watchlist of 10,451 images of known offenders.
Only the Piccadilly camera set off two alerts – and only one of which led to action being taken. The Met confirmed: ‘As part of the operation for the Coronation, LFR was deployed on Saturday, May 6.
‘One arrest was made as a result of the technology. One man, 33, was arrested at Green Park on recall to prison for breach of a sexual offences prevention order and non-payment of fines.’
It comes as it emerged that Home Office officials have drawn up plans to lobby the independent privacy regulator as part of a bid to roll out the cameras.
The strategy was reportedly agreed by the Home Office, policing minister Chris Philp and Facewatch, the firm behind the recognition software, The Observer reported.
Minutes of the meeting appeared to show Home Office officials agreeing to write to the Information Commissioner’s Office to advocate for facial recognition technology.
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