Facial recognition plans

The request was successful.

Dear Bedfordshire Police,

Please provide answers to the following:

1. Does Bedfordshire Police have any plans to introduce facial recognition?
2. If so, please provide all information relating to those plans.
3. Does Bedfordshire Police have any plans to introduce retrospective facial recognition?
4. If so, please provide all information relating to those plans.

Yours faithfully,

Elena Miucci

FOI Team,

1 Attachment

Dear Elena Miucci,

I am writing in response to your request for information, received 29th
April.

Yours sincerely,
Tara Egan

J Roberts left an annotation ()

Chief Constables’ Council

Title: National Biometrics Function and National Facial Recognition Project - 30/9/21

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/8...

Live facial recognition technology guidance
published 22/3/22

https://www.college.police.uk/article/li...

The Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner's response to the College of Policing APP on Live Facial Recognition - 6/4/22

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-b...

Initial analysis of the 2022 police survey returns
Published 14 November 2022

'Is your force operating Facial Recognition Technology?

Only one force stated that it was using LFR (from the list supplied). Six had access to PND and two of those to CAID. One other mentioned access to Athena.'

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...

J Roberts left an annotation ()

Clearview - a company used by the police - fined more than £7.5m in respect of its database that matches facial images - May '22

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/c...

Biometrics Commissioner - 16/2/23

The use of overt surveillance camera systems in public places by police forces in England and Wales: An assessment of compliance with the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice

'8. Not all respondents have completed data protection impact assessments for all the technology under discussion in this survey. This is a concern, particularly given the government’s position that much of the work currently undertaken by the Surveillance Camera Commissioner is a data protection issue, and already falls under the remit of the ICO notwithstanding any legislative proposals to abolished (sic) the Surveillance Camera Code by the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill.'

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...

Commissioner for the Retention and Use of Biometric Material Annual Report - January 2021 – March 2022

And

Surveillance Camera Commissioner Annual Report March 2021 – March 2022

February 2023

'84. More worrying is the reported use of images of people who, while having been arrested, have never subsequently been charged or summonsed, for comparison against Live Facial Recognition ‘reads‘ and watchlists. As I record in Part 2 of this report, the use of facial recognition technology by the police has become one of the most contentious areas of biometric surveillance, not just in the UK but globally .

Part 2 – Facial Recognition and AI

96. The objective of the event was to gain a better understanding of how facial recognition technology is perceived by society in a policing and law enforcement context. Speaking at the event were the Forensic Science Regulator, a senior lecturer from Sheffield University and representatives from the Biometrics Institute, the Information Commissioner’s Office, South Wales Police, and Big Brother Watch.

Appendix F: Facial recognition and AI'

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk...