Live Facial Recognition Vans to Roll Out Across Hampshire and Isle of Wight Next Week

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary will begin deploying its first live facial recognition (LFR) vans next week as the force expands its use of new technology to identify suspects wanted for high-risk and priority offences.

Two fully equipped LFR vans will be operating across both counties following what police describe as a “successful pilot” last year. According to the force, the technology has already proven effective in helping officers rapidly locate individuals linked to serious crimes.

The first operational deployment will take place in Southampton on Thursday 18 December, supporting the city centre’s Operation Predict patrols, which focus on tackling shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. Local teams will work alongside specially trained officers from the Joint Operations Unit who will operate the vans and target priority suspects known to the area.

The vans will be clearly marked, and officers will distribute posters and leaflets to inform the public about how the technology works. Police say officers will also be available to answer questions from members of the public during deployments.

“We are very excited to get these vans out into our communities”

Assistant Chief Constable for the Joint Operations Unit, Robert France, said officers were eager to begin using the vans to support frontline policing.

“We are very excited to get these vans out into our communities where they can really make a difference when it comes to fighting crime,” he said.

“We have seen how successful the use of this technology has been for other forces across the country when it comes to arresting outstanding suspects, so we cannot wait to get them deployed and supporting our officers on their patrols.

“It was clear from our pilot in September last year, just what an effective tool it can be for our teams, not just when it comes to tracking down high priority suspects but also to help reduce crime in the area more generally.

“This sort of precision policing that sees the latest technology working in the background targeting those most wanted criminals, allows our officers to focus more on responding to emergencies, spending time patrolling and investigating crime.

“We’re also excited to see how it can support us helping the most vulnerable within our communities too, especially when it comes to high-risk missing people, when time really is of essence.”

How the system works

Police say the LFR system can scan crowds and compare faces to a watchlist “at a rate and with a level of accuracy that cannot be replicated by officers on the ground”. If the system identifies a potential match, a trained operator reviews the alert before sending information to officers nearby.

The force emphasises that biometric templates created from faces that do not match a watchlist entry are deleted within seconds, and “if you’re not on the list, your face cannot be matched.” Watchlists created for each deployment are deleted within 24 hours, and all CCTV footage is removed within 31 days, in line with standard public camera processes.

Addressing concerns about misidentification

ACC France acknowledged that members of the public—particularly from ethnic minority backgrounds and women—may have concerns about misidentification.

“We know that some people are concerned about misidentification, particularly in relation to those from ethnic minority backgrounds and women,” he said.

“This is a really important issue and the technology has been significantly upgraded and undergone stringent independent testing to address the issues which were identified in early versions of the software as far back as 2019. I am confident that we will see extremely low levels of misidentification and we will be monitoring this closely.

“We do understand the concerns and are committed to ensuring ongoing and open dialogue with communities and individuals across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Our teams will always be happy to speak to anyone during the deployments to discuss how it all works and explain the strict parameters within which we must operate.

“It is completely right that the use of this technology is properly scrutinised to make sure it is always used in the correct and proportionate way and our deployments will be routinely reviewed by senior officers to ensure complete compliance at all times.

“I’m pleased to say that most people we have spoken to are very supportive of our use of this technology and are excited to see how it can help make their communities safer.

“I believe it is vitally important that as a police force, we equip our officers with the very best tools available to them to help take criminals off the streets, get justice for victims and ultimately, keep people safer.”

Backing from the Police and Crime Commissioner

Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Donna Jones, welcomed the rollout.

“This technology is ground-breaking. It’s helping lead to the faster detention of suspects which is freeing up police time to fight crime, patrol our streets and respond to emergencies,” she said.

“This is a forward-thinking approach for modern policing and is another vital step in further protecting our communities.”

National context

The Home Office says other UK forces have already seen significant results from LFR, including more than 1,300 arrests by the Metropolitan Police over the past two years, and the identification of over 100 registered sex offenders breaching licence conditions.

Regular public notices will continue to be issued seven days ahead of each deployment. Full information about the force’s use of LFR is available on the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary website.