POLICE say they are aware that members of the public may have concerns about the use of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology, but have pledged to be open and transparent about when and how it is used.

Devon & Cornwall Police is introducing the technology as an additional policing tool to help officers locate wanted people, prevent crime and protect communities.

The first deployment of the force’s LFR van will take place in Newquay from August 6 to 8.

Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said the force understood the importance of public confidence and was committed to ensuring the technology was used responsibly.

‘People may have concerns about Live Facial Recognition technology, so we are committed to being open about where we are using it, when it is used and the safeguards that are in place to ensure it is used in a transparent and proportionate way’, he said.

LFR works by comparing a live camera feed against a pre-determined watchlist, which could include people wanted by police.

The technology measures facial features and creates a mathematical representation that is compared against known faces on the watchlist.

Police say that if someone is not on the watchlist, they cannot be matched by the system.

Police say images of people who are not on the watchlist are automatically and permanently deleted within seconds and that the force does not retain this information.

Where the system identifies a possible match, trained officers will review the alert before deciding whether to speak to the person involved.

The force say that the human decision-making element remains a key safeguard, with officers responsible for assessing any potential match before taking action.

Mr Longman said the technology would support, rather than replace, the work of officers.

‘We want to make the best use of technology and LFR provides officers with an additional tool to help locate wanted people more quickly, prevent crime and keep communities safe’, he said.

The marked LFR van will be clearly visible during deployments, and areas where the technology is operating will be signposted so members of the public are aware it is being used.

Details of all future deployments will be published on Devon & Cornwall Police’s website at least seven days in advance.