Key facts
- A six-month trial of live facial recognition technology in London railway stations cost over £320,000.
- The trial scanned over half a million faces between February and July.
- The trial resulted in one false positive identification and no arrests.
- The British Transport Police are extending the trial for another four months.
- The extended trial will include London Underground stations.
- More than half of police forces in England and Wales have deployed live facial recognition technology.
A six-month trial of live facial recognition (LFR) technology in London's railway stations concluded with a single false positive identification and no arrests, despite costing taxpayers over £320,000. The British Transport Police (BTP) initiative, which ran from February to July, scanned more than half a million faces across several busy transport hubs.
Obtained by Liberty Investigates, a freedom of information document revealed that the trial's equipment hire and police staffing amounted to £320,786. The technology aimed to help catch offenders and individuals breaching court orders, but the sole alert generated by the system was an incorrect identification.
Despite these results, BTP announced last month that the trial would be extended for an additional four months, with deployments expanding to include London Underground stations. Transport for London stated that the technology would target individuals on police watchlists at key stations to combat violence against women and girls.
Fraser Sampson, former UK biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner, emphasized the need for proportionality in the use of such technology, noting the difference between its application in retail settings and public transport networks. He highlighted that the effectiveness of LFR relies heavily on the quality and relevance of police watchlists. Sampson also pointed out that LFR systems process special category personal data, requiring police to demonstrate necessity and appropriateness, with oversight from bodies like the ICO.
More than half of police forces in England and Wales have now deployed LFR technology on streets, according to Liberty Investigates. The Metropolitan Police and London mayor's office also plan to install fixed LFR cameras in the West End, including on Oxford Street.
Parliament's joint committee on human rights has identified the rollout of LFR as a "particularly clear example of risk" concerning artificial intelligence and human rights. Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Labour MP, called for a suspension of the technology's rollout until stronger safeguards and a legal framework are established, citing privacy concerns.
A BTP spokesperson stated that the pilot was launched to assess the technology's effectiveness in identifying wanted offenders and individuals posing a risk. The spokesperson noted that while associated arrests were made for various offenses, they did not directly result from LFR alerts and thus were not included in performance data. The force has been refining deployment strategies, operating procedures, and watchlist construction throughout the pilot, emphasizing deliberate and controlled watchlist growth aligned with BTP policy.