The Western Australia Police Force has announced it will soon be trialling advancements in overt live facial recognition technology to respond to crime faster and enhance community safety.
The technology involves the deployment of visible facial recognition cameras, mounted on or positioned in the vicinity of a marked police vehicle in designated public spaces. The cameras detect faces in real time and compares them against a strictly controlled alert list consisting only of lawfully held police images.
These may include reportable offenders, people with outstanding warrants, those suspected of serious offences, missing people, and individuals subject to lawful restrictions, such as PEP orders, or welfare concerns. The technology will be used to identify convicted child sex offenders who are prohibited from being near children.
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the technology gives WA Police the capability for timely and quality responses, with real-time alerts identifying high risk individuals, resulting in the swift apprehension of those offenders who are breaking the law.
“Live Facial Recognition is about using modern technology responsibly to keep our community safe. It allows police to focus on individuals who present a real risk, while the vast majority of people go about their day without any impact at all,” said Commissioner Blanch.
“Live Facial Recognition is about protecting people, not watching people. It is another tool to help police find the right people, at the right time, for the right reasons.
“This technology is the way forward when it comes to supporting frontline policing. It’ll help to get high-risk offenders off the streets sooner and reunite vulnerable people with safety and care more quickly.”
The technology can also be used to ensure vulnerable members of the community can be assisted and given prompt and adequate care and returned to safety.
Images of community members who are not on the alert list are automatically pixelated in real time and are not saved. There is no record-keeping of this data, WA Police said in a statement.
“Advancements and innovation in technology including through initiatives such as facial recognition, present significant opportunities for law enforcement agencies, with community safety the number one priority. This approach has been successfully implemented in other jurisdictions around the world, resulting in improved community safety,” the Commissioner said.
