Police force to trial facial recognition technology
A police force is to trial live facial recognition (LFR) technology in a town centre for a day to find criminals and prevent crime.
Suffolk Police said two vans and equipment, borrowed from Essex Police, will be in Ipswich on Saturday, 22 February.
The force said it was "well-acquainted to embracing innovative technology to protect the public from serious harm".
The kit would only be used to find criminals and anyone who they are not looking for will have their image deleted immediately.
Assistant Chief Constable Eamonn Bridger said: "This technology has been proven elsewhere to be an effective tactic for locating and arresting suspects that are wanted for serious offences."
He said the force would only be looking for individuals who have committed serious offences and added: "It is important that we provide insight around the trial of this equipment and tactics."
The technology compares live camera feeds of faces against a predetermined database or "watch list" of people of interest and scanning takes less than a minute.
"If you are in a location where LFR is being deployed and you are not one of the specific people we're trying to locate, your image will be immediately and automatically deleted", Mr Bridger said.
"It's an effective way of finding people we want to speak to and keeping the public safe.
"This technology can save time and effort of our officers, leaving them able to do other work to protect and help the public."
Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said: "This technology has huge potential to bring criminals to justice and to prevent crime."
He said where it had been trialled it had a "very positive impact on reducing levels of crime and improving detection rates".
Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Facial recognition cameras lead to seven arrests
Force to use facial recognition to hunt criminals
Facial recognition tech leads to arrests at festival
Suffolk Constabulary
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Woman Arrested After Police Find 37 Dead Dogs on Property Believed to Be an Animal Rescue Center
A woman has been arrested after 37 dead dogs were found in a property in Basildon, England Essex police confirmed on June 4 that the 25-year-old had been charged with suspicion of animal cruelty Police previously revealed that they had also arrested two other men, with one being released on conditional bailA woman has been arrested after 37 dogs were found dead in a property in Basildon, England. On Wednesday, June 4, Essex Police confirmed in a press release that a 25-year-old woman from London had been charged with suspicion of animal cruelty. According to the BBC, the animals were found in an address believed to be an animal shelter. 'A woman has been arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty as part of Basildon Neighborhood Policing Team's ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the discovery of 37 dead dogs in Billericay,' the police's release read. Officials added, 'Working with the RSPCA, we helped to recover 21 live animals. This discovery followed a joint visit by Essex Police, the RSPCA and Basildon Council to a property in Crays Hill last month.' 'The 25-year-old woman from London was arrested this afternoon (Wednesday 4 June) and is currently in police custody,' the police continued. The statement added that further investigations at the address are being carried out by Essex Police and the RSPCA. This came after officers received 'information received by a member of the public.' Essex Police told PEOPLE in a statement that the woman has been released on conditional bail, but added that their investigation is still ongoing. PEOPLE also reached out to the RSPCA for further comment, but they did not immediately respond. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. 'The remains of four further animals were identified when buildings were dismantled by the landowner, with liaison with Essex Police, since the original scene was stood down on 14 May,' the release continued. Authorities added that they were removing the remains, with the Basildon Neighborhood Policing Team identifying if there was any link to the police's investigation. 'We understand the concerns of the local community. We would ask people not to speculate and allow us to carry out our complex and thorough investigations,' Inspector Steve Parry from the Basildon Neighborhood Policing Team said in a statement. Authorities revealed in a previous release that they had arrested two men on 'suspicion of fraud, relating to transfer of ownership of dogs, and animal cruelty offenses.' While one of the suspects was released on conditional bail, 25-year-old Ovaeed Rahman was charged with 'causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, an offence contrary to Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, the duty of person responsible for animal to ensure welfare and three counts of fraud by false representation." He also stood before Southend Magistrates' Court on May 15 and will remain in custody until his next hearing, which will take place at Basildon Crown Court on June 9, according to the BBC. 'Since the creation of a dedicated portal through which the public, we've seen a large number of reports submitted and each of the submissions are being reviewed by officers,' a release from authorities shared on May 16 read. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
London woman, 25, arrested after 37 dead dogs found at 'rescue centre'
A woman from London has been arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty after 37 dead dogs were found at a property in Essex. The 25-year-old was arrested on Wednesday afternoon and is currently in custody, Essex Police said. Officers, together with staff from the RSPCA and Basildon Council, discovered the 37 dead dogs during a joint visit to what was believed to be a rescue centre in Crays Hill, Billericay, last month. A 25-year-old man, Ovaeed Rahman, of Hope Road in Crays Hill, Billericay, was last month charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal. Rahman is also charged with an offence contrary to the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and three counts of fraud by false representation. He appeared before Southend Magistrates' Court last month and was remanded in custody until a plea hearing at Basildon Crown Court on June 9. A second man, who was arrested on suspicion of fraud relating to transfer of ownership of dogs and animal cruelty offences, has been conditionally bailed until July. Police said that 21 live animals were recovered. The force said that following information provided by a member of the public, officers from Essex Police and the RSPCA carried out further investigations at the Crays Hill location on Wednesday. The original scene had been stood down on May 14. Police said the remains of four further animals were identified when buildings were dismantled by the landowner, with liaison with Essex Police. An Essex Police spokesperson said: 'We are now working to respectfully remove these remains from the scene and the Basildon Neighbourhood Policing Team will work to establish if they are linked to our investigation.' Inspector Steve Parry, of Basildon Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: 'We understand the concerns of the local community. 'We would ask people not to speculate and allow us to carry out our complex and thorough investigations.' Anyone with any information is asked to submit it at:
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Cumbria Police to consult on use of facial recognition at Appleby Fair
Cumbria Police will be consulting with communities on the use of facial recognition technology during the Appleby Horse Fair. The force will be gathering views from the gypsy and traveller community on whether Live Facial Recognition (LFR) cameras should be deployed at future Appleby Horse Fairs. The technology will not be used during the 2025 event. Detective Superintendent Dan St Quintin, gold police commander for Appleby Horse Fair, said: "Whilst we are not deploying facial recognition during the 2025 Appleby Horse Fair, I want to gauge public opinion on its potential future use. "Therefore, we want to use the opportunity of the 2025 fair to reach out to all communities impacted by the fair to gauge opinion and feeling around the proposal. "As gold commander for the Appleby Horse Fair policing operation, it is my role to look each year at how we can enhance the safety of this event. "This technology has the potential to have a profoundly positive impact on our ability to keep people safe – by quickly identifying people who are suspected of committing a crime, have travelled here despite being wanted by the police, and by helping us to safeguard vulnerable people, including missing individuals. "However, policing by consent relies on public support for such measures, which is why we are asking for the public's views on our use of this technology in future Appleby Horse Fair policing operations." Live Facial Recognition works by using cameras to scan the faces of passers-by and instantly compare them against a curated database of individuals wanted by police. The technology could be used to identify people suspected of crimes, those wanted on warrant, or individuals reported missing. Billy Welch, a Gypsy and Traveller representative and member of the Multi Agency Co-ordinating Group (MASCG), said: "As the tenant of Fair Hill, I work with police and the council to keep Appleby Fair safe and enjoyable for everyone, for the sake of our children and grandchildren. "Wherever people gather in large numbers, CCTV and security cameras have become normal, and the technology has advanced so fast that facial recognition is now a fact of life. "If Cumbria Police can use it to identify criminality and troublemakers and keep them away from the fair, then I would support it. "People who have not committed any offence have nothing to worry about. "Some people might disagree, but whatever you think about this proposal, it is important that all points of view are heard, so I encourage everyone to take part in this survey so that police can measure public opinion before the fair next year." David Allen, Cumbria's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner said: "As commissioner, I am the voice of the public in policing and fire services in the county, so I'm really pleased to see Cumbria Constabulary consulting with the public on their thoughts surrounding facial recognition. "I want to make it clear: this isn't a tool to spy on law-abiding members of the public. "I would like to encourage anyone at the fair and in Appleby to take part in the survey – we genuinely do want your opinions and for you to raise any concerns. "Let us work together to ensure that we can continue to keep Cumbria and Appleby Fair safe for everyone." People attending the fair, as well as those living in the area, will be able to take part in the survey. Written forms will be made available at the Tourist Information Centre in Appleby.
