Facial recognition in use after riots

Associated Press

LONDON

Facial-recognition technology being considered for London’s 2012 Olympics is getting a workout in the wake of Britain’s riots, a senior police chief told The Associated Press on Thursday, with officers feeding photographs of suspects through Scotland Yard’s newly updated face-matching program.

Chief Constable Andy Trotter of the British Transport Police said the sophisticated software was being used to help find those suspected of being involved in the worst unrest London has seen in a generation.

But he cautioned that facial recognition makes up only a fraction of the police force’s efforts, saying tips mostly have come from traditional sources, such as still images captured from closed-circuit cameras, pictures gathered by officers, footage shot by police helicopters or images snapped by members of the public. One department was driving around a large video screen displaying images of suspects.

“There’s a mass of evidence out there,” Trotter said in a telephone interview. “The public are so enraged that people who wouldn’t normally come forward are helping us — especially when they see their neighbors are coming back with brand new TVs.”

A press officer with Scotland Yard — who spoke anonymously, in line with force policy — confirmed that facial-recognition technology was at the police’s disposal, although he gave few other details. He said that generally the technology would be used only to help identify those suspected of serious crimes.