PCC to scrutinise police use of Live Facial Recognition in Avon and Somerset

Today, Avon and Somerset Police announced plans to introduce Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology as part of its work to prevent crime and protect the public.

As with any new technology or powers in operational policing, I know there will be concerns from communities about their effectiveness and how they will be used proportionately.

I am also very aware of the longstanding concerns, particularly among our Black heritage and minoritised communities, about whether LFR technology can be used fairly and accurately in all circumstances.

I want to assure people in Avon and Somerset that I will be monitoring the police use of LFR closely and that I have worked with local communities and the police force to ensure fair and robust scrutiny processes are in place.

I also want to reassure the public that the use of LFR is governed by strict legal, data protection and equality safeguards and that Avon and Somerset Police will be adhering to clear guidelines and protections.

Public engagement:

Ahead of this announcement, I brought together community leaders, academics, experts and residents from across Avon and Somerset to discuss how the technology should be governed and scrutinised.

They had the opportunity to raise concerns, hear directly from the police about their proposed use of LFR, see demonstrations of the technology, and help shape the scrutiny arrangements that will now be put in place.

I welcome this constructive engagement between communities, Avon and Somerset Police and my office, which has helped ensure public concerns were considered from an early stage and will continue to be represented throughout ongoing scrutiny.

As a result of this engagement, a clear scrutiny process will be put in place by my office:

• I will be notified about planned LFR deployments so I can seek assurance that its use follows national guidance, is led by intelligence rather than bias, and is justified. While it is important that policing remains operationally independent, those operational decisions must still be properly scrutinised.
  
• My Independent Scrutiny of Police Powers Panel (ISoPPP) will help review deployments after they take place. The panel is made up of volunteer residents across Avon and Somerset, ensuring an independent public voice remains part of the scrutiny process. They will review Body-Worn Video footage from LFR deployments to scrutinise officer interactions with the public, as well as review operational outcomes and the impact on communities.
  
• I will personally take the panel’s feedback and recommendations to Chief Constable Sarah Crew in our regular Governance and Scrutiny Board meetings. I know that Sarah is completely committed to serving the public with dedication, fairness and proportionality, but I will not shy away from asking tough questions about how people are informed when LFR is being used, how watchlists are managed, how biometric data is handled and deleted, and whether our recommendations are being acted upon.

Facial recognition technology has been used successfully in other parts of the country and is a useful tactic for preventing crime and supporting public safety, but public trust must never be taken for granted. In our diverse communities, we must ensure that these robust scrutiny measures and processes exist to help prevent disproportionality in the use of LFR.

I will continue to hold the Chief Constable accountable for ensuring that any use of LFR is lawful, necessary and proportionate.

For more information on police use of LFR, please visit Live Facial Recognition Technology | Avon and Somerset Police