The UK Government states that Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology uses live video footage of people passing an LFR camera in a public place and compares their images to a specific list of people wanted by the police (known as a watchlist). It means the police can quickly locate wanted people and take them off the streets.

However the introduction of such technology across UK police forces has prompted warnings from Amnesty International that use of the technology could cause “a historic shift in the relationship between the police and public.”

The technology has already been rolled out across some forces and divisions of the Police.

Incidents of Bias

Essex Police had been rolling out LFR technology across its force since Summer 2024. However, just over a year later, the programme was paused following a study suggesting racial bias existed in the system.

Essex Police commissioned two independent studies which were conducted by the University of Cambridge. The studies created a simulation where individuals on the watchlist would walk past cameras, with the LFR technology expected to identify them. 

One study found that the system correctly identified men more often than women, and it was significantly more likely to correctly identify black participants than participants of other ethnicities. 

In the second study, which analysed the data collected by the force from August 2024 – February 2025, the research found that for every 27,000 faces scanned, the force was able to make one arrest, however in one case there was an incident of mistaken identity. 

Whilst these findings emerged from the Essex studies, they are unlikely to halt the use of LFR technology across the country. An Essex Police representative commented:  “We have revised our policies and procedures and are now confident that we can start deploying this important technology as part of policing operations to trace and arrest wanted criminals.”

A spokesperson added that they would “continue to monitor all results to ensure there is no risk of bias against any one section of the community.”

Human Rights Concerns in Scotland 

Whilst LFR technology is yet to be rolled out locally, Police Scotland have shared plans for future use. 

In April 2025, the Scottish Police Authority, Police Scotland and Scottish Biometrics Commissioner, sought public views on the use of LFR by Police Scotland.

Despite some concerns over human rights and privacy concerns, as highlighted in the Essex Police studies, Police Scotland plan to move ahead with rolling out the technology across Scotland. 

Police representatives described the technology as a “really exciting digital and data opportunity”. 

Deputy chief constable Jane Connors said: “There is still a lot to do, but we will move ahead with the detailed work around live facial recognition, coming back to the ‘rights based pathway’ and making sure that we take time to understand the governance, the proportionality and the high levels of scrutiny that will be required”.

Recommended reading

• UK Police Using Passports For ‘Secretive’ Facial Recognition Searches
• ICO Demands “Urgent Clarity” on Police Facial Recognition Bias
• UK Expands Live Facial Recognition in Police Van Rollout
• Ada Lovelace Institute Condemns UK’s Facial Recognition Governance

This month Amnesty International have issued new pleas for Police Scotland to drop plans to use LFR, based on concerns about human rights. 

Neil Cowan, Scotland Programme Director at Amnesty International, said: “The police must listen to the voices of people across Scotland, who are horrified at the prospect of this mass surveillance tool being rolled out on Scotland’s streets.

“In showing an alarming disregard for fundamental human rights and in disproportionately targeting people of colour, this invasive and disturbing technology should have no place in a Scotland that respects and values human rights.

“Any claims by Police Scotland to be a rights-respecting force will ring hollow unless these plans are dropped. If they are not, Scotland will be dragged backwards on human rights.”

The Scottish Police Authority update from Alasdair Hay, Vice Chair and Chair of Policing Performance Committee on 9th February stated: “At this stage it is still the position that there are a number of steps before any decision regarding the use of the technology can be taken.”

The update confirmed that the introduction of any new technology ‘must be transparent, proportionate, and justifiable’ and ‘should involve consideration of a broad range of evidence, with a prioritised consideration given to human rights and policing values in the decision-making process’.