As part of an ongoing commitment to keeping communities safe across Yorkshire, Live Facial Recognition (LFR) is set to be used by the police.

LFR will be used across carefully selected authorised locations to help identify individuals wanted by police, locate missing people, and find key people and witnesses for investigations. 

The technology works by scanning people’s faces, then running them through databases of individuals with interest to the police.

When someone’s face matches that of a police watch list, an alert will sound, notifying officers. Faces of people who don’t match the database will be instantly deleted.

The force have two fully equipped LFR vans which will be rolled out for the first time in Leeds city centre on Tuesday.

Chief Inspector Daniel Tillett, who is leading the rollout of the technology said: “Live Facial Recognition is being introduced as part of our commitment to keeping the people of West Yorkshire safe, protecting vulnerable people and reducing crime.

“We understand that the use of facial recognition technology raises important questions about privacy and civil liberties. That’s why we are committed to using LFR in a transparent, proportionate and accountable way.

“We have worked closely with legal and ethical experts to ensure that the use of LFR complies with relevant legislation, including data protection and human rights laws.”

The technology will be checked and reviewed regularly by an independent overseer to ensure it is being used effectively and responsibly.

Public feedback over the upcoming weeks will determine how the technology is deployed in the future.