Quickly exit this site by pressing the Escape key Leave this site
This site is a beta, which means it's a work in progress and we'll be adding more to it over the next few weeks. Your feedback helps us make things better, so please let us know what you think.
Cheshire Constabulary uses facial recognition technology in a legal and ethical way to prevent and reduce crime while also improving investigations.
Facial Recognition is a technology capable of comparing a human face from a digital image against a database of faces – in Cheshire Constabulary’s case this is national custody photographs.
Custody images are legally held and stored under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.
It analyses key facial features and generates a biometric template of these features. It then compares them against the biometric template of known faces in a database, generating possible matches.
Currently, Cheshire Constabulary have no plans to use LFR.
Cheshire Constabulary uses the following two types of Facial Recognition: Technology Retrospective Facial Recognition (RFR) and Operator Initiated Facial Recognition (OIFR).
Cheshire Constabulary currently utilises Police National Database (PND) facial recognition technology and NeoFace technology provided by NEC software solutions.
RFR technology is used to identify a suspect efficiently and effectively. When a suspect of a crime remains unknown, RFR will be used.
RFR is utilised post event as part of a criminal investigation. Investigators capture images typically from from CCTV, mobile phone footage or social media. These images are then compared against national custody images.
After a search is made, the technology suggests possible matches from the reference image database from the most likely to the least likely possible match.
An operator will review the matches to determine whether a match has been made. If the operator decides a match has been made, they will inform the investigating officer. The investigating officer will review the suggested match and add the person to the investigation as a suspect.
In Cheshire, some officers will have the ability to take a photograph on a mobile phone through the NeoFace app for comparison with images from the police database. This will assist an officer to verify the identity of an individual.
This software can also be used if a person is unable to provide their details because they are unconscious, seriously injured, have mental health or age barriers or incapable due to drink or drugs.
It can also be used when one of the following grounds apply – when an individual is: deceased, reported as a missing person, suspected of committing an offence, wanted by courts, subject to bail conditions or a court order and presenting a risk of harm to themselves or any other policing purpose.
When a search is made, the technology suggests possible matches from the reference image database from the most likely to the least likely possible match. The most possible matches are then shown to the officer for review. If the officer determines a match has been made, it will be possible to carry our further checks of the individual on police systems.
Anyone who does not have an image on the database cannot be identified. The image, captured on the mobile device, and biometric data are not retained on the mobile device after a search is carried out.
This will not be used to replace other means of identification such as checking identification documents which will then be checked against police systems to identify a subject.
This will be used as an ‘on-street’ intelligence tool to assist the officers in identifying an unknown person and it will only be used when the identity of an individual is not confirmed. Officers must record the justification to use this capably.
We understand people may have concerns, but we are compliant with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the software will be used in a legal and ethical way.
Under certain circumstances, you have the right to request your data or the right to ask the Constabulary to delete your personal data to prevent its continued processing where there is no justification for us to retain it.