Live Facial Recognition technology - fill in my survey

Dear Resident,

As part of its commitment to tackling serious crime and keeping our county safe, Hertfordshire Constabulary is about to conduct a trial of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology.  

LFR technology compares a human face captured by a camera against digital images uploaded to a secure 'watchlist'. This process is fast, accurate, and designed to help identify individuals wanted for serious offences. It's used alongside strict safeguards to ensure fairness, transparency and privacy. You can read more about how LFR works on my website here.  

The cameras are contained within a van which will be parked at a set location. Neighbourhood policing officers will be present to engage with anyone identified from the watchlist, as well as answer the public’s questions. A human decision is always made before an individual is approached by officers; the technology just recommends who should be approached and why. 

To maintain operational integrity, Hertfordshire Constabulary will publish the location and date of any LFR deployment seven days in advance in line with national guidelines. 

I welcome the decision to trial this technology as a means of catching more criminals. However, I understand that some in the community may have concerns. As your Police & Crime Commissioner, my role is to scrutinise how the constabulary use the technology.  

As part of that, I want to know what you think as a resident of Hertfordshire. I've prepared a quick survey - can you take a couple of minutes to fill it in by clicking the link below? 

Click here to take my survey: Herts PCC - Live Facial Recognition Survey – Fill in form

I'd be really grateful if you could let me know your thoughts on this important issue. 

In the meantime, don't hesitate to drop me a line if there's anything you'd like to discuss with me as your PCC.  

Best wishes,  

Jonathan 

Jonathan Ash-Edwards 

Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire