GMP Use Facial Recognition

Greater Manchester Police monitored shopping centre visitors for six months using facial recognition, it has been revealed.

20:36 22 October 2018

Greater Manchester Police has been forced to stop its controversial surveillance programme using automatic facial recognition at the Trafford Centre following intrusions concerns.

 

Surveillance Camera Commissioner, Tony Porter, said that the programme, which aimed to identify missing or wanted people, had not been signed off by senior officials. 

 

A spokesperson for Intu, that runs the Trafford Centre, said: "The safety and security of our staff and visitors is our number one priority.

 

"To support this, we regularly review our processes and assess new ways of working.

 

"As part of this we undertook a limited trial of automatic facial recognition technology (AFR) to help us to understand if this technology could enable us to more quickly identify individuals who had been violent or aggressive to other customers, our staff or retail staff within the centre."

 

He added: "Greater Manchester Police were very helpful and open.

 

"What I would say is that in some countries we wouldn't be able to rely on a police service to listen and accept [these concerns].

 

"I understand their lawyers felt it was necessary to place [the scheme] on hold until these issues were properly addressed.

 

"Yes there are lessons to be learned in terms of ensuring senior officers have visibility of such proposals. It is highly invasive surveillance and it should be understood at the strategic command level.