Latest news with #HMICS
BBC News
25-03-2025
- BBC News
Custody photos too poor for facial recognition technology
Photos taken of suspects arrested in Scotland are often too low quality to be used by facial recognition technology, a report has confirmed. The Scottish Biometrics Commissioner and His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) raised concerns about the quality of custody images being added to national databases. Commissioner Dr Brian Plastow said a "sizeable proportion" of those taken between 2019 and 2024 are of such low quality they are unsuitable for software used across the UK to link suspects to other crimes. Police Scotland said they were already aware of this issue and would consider recommendations in the report. Police forces across the UK upload images of everyone they arrest to the Police National Database (PND), which allows officers to detect potential matches with photographs of suspects captured and uploaded from sources including video doorbells and intelligence sharing system can lead to a person arrested for one crime being linked to numerous unsolved crimes. While custody photographs remain mostly low-quality, Police Scotland will be unable to take part in new facial matching services, including the controversial live facial recognition have previously warned that using live facial recognition on members of the public would be a "radical departure from Police Scotland's fundamental principle of policing by consent."But the report highlighted the problem with the current use of retrospective image search technology (RIST) when the custody images were not adequate. Figures from Police Scotland revealed that a potential match was found in just 2% of RIST it also gave examples of successes in Scotland including the sexual assault of a tourist who was then sent offensive messages and images from the matched the photo from his messaging app to a custody photo taken more than 20 years recognition technology can also be used to compare images on the the Child Abuse Image Database (CAID) to identify victims and perpetrators of online child sexual abuse. Suspects 'not being detected' Dr Plastow said: "While carrying out this assurance review we were informed about the insufficient quality and resolution of Scottish images on the Police Scotland Criminal History System, which affects a portion of custody images captures between 2019-2024."This means a sizeable portion of custody images are not searchable under PND facial search functionality."This gap could mean that people who have had their custody image previously taken, are not being detected on future probe images uploaded by Police Scotland, which could lead to crimes not being detected."The report stated that the force said a "software issue" was causing the custody images to be captured at a lower than recommended minimum images were then being additionally compressed using a technique that left them unsuitable for use with the PND. Dr Plastow added: "Extreme caution must be exercised with any retrospective ICT fix to uncompress these images."If they cannot be fully restored to their original format, the reliability of the data could be significantly compromised."Dr Plastow said there needed to be "transparency, robust governance and independent oversight" when using biometrics. Assistant Chief Constable Steve Johnson said Police Scotland would consider the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner's recommendations in full."Our Biometrics Oversight Board is already aware of this issue and is overseeing work to improve the quality of images taken in custody and the collaboration with Home Office Strategic Facial Matcher Project, which mirrors the recommendations," he said.
The Independent
06-03-2025
- The Independent
Several children detained in police custody for too long, inspectors find
Police in Glasgow held children in custody for too long with no record of their reason for doing so, inspectors found. HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) and Healthcare Improvement Scotland reviewed custody centres at London Road, Govan and Cathcart police stations in September 2024. Inspectors examined a sample of 90 custody records from July 2024 which revealed five occasions when children aged between 13 and 17 were held in cells for longer than they deemed necessary. A 13-year-old was held in custody for more than six hours, three children aged 14 were held for more than six, 10 and 12 hours respectively, and a 16-year-old was held overnight for more than nine hours, the inspectors found. The HMICS report said on each occasion the youngsters – none of whom were being held for court appearances – had been charged with what they considered to be 'minor offences'. The report also noted there was no record on the Police Scotland National Custody System to indicate a custody inspector was aware of, or had sanctioned, the detention decisions. The aim of the joint inspection was to assess the treatment of, and conditions for, individuals detained at the three primary custody centres in Glasgow. Craig Naylor, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, has called on Police Scotland to ensure decisions involving children in police custody are subject to 'robust management oversight'. He has also recommended Police Scotland make sure such decisions are recorded appropriately. Mr Naylor said: 'The staff we spoke to highlighted that the custody division aimed to minimise the number of child arrests wherever possible, and to reduce the time spent in custody at the centres. 'However, our review of records highlighted anomalies in the length of time some children spent in custody. 'We consider holding children in a cell for the length of times we noted to be inappropriate, disproportionate to the offence, inconsistent with custody policy, and potentially detrimental to the child. 'None of these records contained a sufficient rationale to explain why it was necessary and proportionate to delay liberating the child.' Inspectors said the provision of healthcare within each of the custody centres was good but noted custody staff and local policing officers had described staffing shortages as 'very challenging'. The HMICS report recommended Police Scotland examine staffing levels at the custody centres and make arrangements to ensure appropriate staffing levels are in place. It also highlighted concerns regarding a lack of consistency in the recording of information. Mr Naylor said: 'We have continued to find disparities, in some cases, between the risk assessments undertaken and the corresponding care plans put in place to mitigate risk. 'Similarly, we found a lack of quality assurance of operational practice taking place – an issue which we have raised previously and have made a recommendation for improvement. 'While recommendations outlined in this report have specific relevance for Glasgow custody centres, some will be equally applicable to other custody centres across Scotland and should be considered in future improvement planning by Police Scotland's criminal justice services division.' Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Wendy Middleton said the force welcomes the report and will 'carefully consider' the findings and recommendations. She said: 'Whilst issues have been identified and will be addressed, we have seen a reduction in the number of younger children being brought into custody overall and a significant decrease in the number of older children held over 24 hours. 'This demonstrates a collective desire not to have children in our care for any longer than is absolutely necessary, and this will continue to be a priority for us. 'We have made it clear that police custody is no place for children and young people, and we are actively working with stakeholders including the Children's Commissioner to explore appropriate alternatives to police custody for children and young people and to minimise the occasions on which it may be necessary.'
