Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary will soon be using new live facial recognition vans as part of a national push to help catch wanted suspects and reduce crime.
Ours will be one of just seven forces across the country to host the technology, which can quickly identify people wanted for serious offences and even assist in searches for high-risk missing people.
The announcement follows a successful pilot last September, when vans were deployed in Southampton, Portsmouth, Winchester and Basingstoke. Over three days, the technology helped officers make seven arrests – targeting outstanding suspects for high-risk and priority offences.
Detective Chief Superintendent Tim Rowlandson, who’s leading the project locally, said:
“We know from our pilot that this extra tool not only helps us identify suspects quickly, it also frees up our officers to spend more time responding to emergencies, patrolling communities and investigating crime.”
Other police forces already using the technology have reported significant drops in crime where the vans are deployed, with arrests made for offences including rape, domestic abuse, knife crime, robbery, and breaches of sex offender conditions.
How it works
Cameras on the van scan faces in real time and compare them to a watchlist of people police need to find – such as those wanted on warrants or avoiding court.
- If there’s no match, the data is deleted instantly.
- Any matches are verified by trained officers before action is taken.
- Watchlist data is deleted within 24 hours after each deployment.
When in use, vans will be clearly marked, with signage and officers available to answer questions from the public.
The first Hampshire deployments are planned for later this year, with details to be shared in the coming months.
For more on how the technology works, visit the Hampshire Constabulary website.