Provision of information held by Northumbria Police made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the 'Act')
As you may be aware the purpose of the Act is to allow a general right of access to information held at the time of a request, by a Public Authority (including the Police), subject to certain limitations and exemptions.
You asked:
Questions 1-6 relate to the period January 2022-January 2023.
1. Has Northumbria Police deployed live facial recognition?
a. If so, please provide dates and locations for each deployment.
2. Has Northumbria Police used any form of retrospective facial recognition?
a. If so, please provide the dates and locations at which the images or footage was obtained.
3. Has Northumbria Police deployed operator initiated facial recognition?
a. If so, please provide dates and locations for each deployment.
4. Has Northumbria Police deployed any type of facial recognition in conjunction with body-worn video?
a. If so, please provide dates and locations for each deployment.
5. Where live facial recognition has been used:
a. How many images were on the watch list used in each instance?
b. From where were these images taken?
c. How many of those on the watch list were not wanted for arrest in each instance?
i. For what other reasons were these people included?
6. At each deployment, how many alerts were generated?
a. How many times did police officers consider the match sufficiently credible to stop individuals and perform an identity check?
b. Following an identity check, how many stops were verified as correct matches?
Questions 7-10 relate to the period from February 2023 onwards.
7. Does Northumbria Police plan to deploy live facial recognition?
a. If so, please provide dates and locations for each known planned deployment.
8. Does Northumbria Police plan to use retrospective facial recognition?
a. If so, please provide dates and locations for each known planned deployment.
9. Does Northumbria Police plan to deploy operator initiated facial recognition?
a. If so, please provide dates and locations for each known planned deployment.
10. Does Northumbria Police plan to deploy any type of facial recognition in conjunction with body-worn video?
a. If so, please provide dates and locations for each known planned deployment.
In Response:
We have now had the opportunity to fully consider your request and I provide a response for your attention.
Following receipt of your request, searches were conducted with the ICT Department of Northumbria Police.
With regards to overt use I can confirm that the information you have requested is not held by Northumbria Police. We have not used nor are there currently any plans to use such facial recognition.
In regards to covert use of such technology, we shall neither confirm nor deny any information is held by virtue of the following exemptions:
Section 24 (2) – National Security
Section 31 (3) – Law Enforcement
Any disclosure under FOI is a release to the public at large. Whilst not questioning the motives of the applicant, confirming or denying that any other information relating to the covert practise of facial recognition would show criminals what the capacity, tactical abilities and capabilities of the force are, allowing them to target specific areas of the UK to conduct their criminal/terrorist activities. Confirming or denying the specific circumstances in which the Police Service may or may not deploy the use of facial recognition would lead to an increase of harm to covert investigations and compromise law enforcement. This would be to the detriment of providing an efficient policing service and a failure in providing a duty of care to all members of the public.
The threat from terrorism cannot be ignored. It is generally recognised that the international security landscape is increasingly complex and unpredictable. Since 2006, the UK Government has published the threat level, based upon current intelligence and that threat has remained at the second highest level ‘severe’, except for two short periods during August 2006, June and July 2007, and more recently following the Manchester and London terrorist attacks, when it was raised to the highest threat, ‘critical’. The UK continues to face a sustained threat from violent extremists and terrorists and the current threat level is set at ‘severe’.
It is well established that police forces use covert tactics and surveillance to gain intelligence in order to counteract criminal behaviour. It has been previously documented in the media that many terrorist incidents have been thwarted due to intelligence gained by these means.
Confirming or denying whether any information is or isn’t held relating to any covert use of facial recognition technology would limit operational capabilities as criminals/terrorist would gain a greater understanding of the police’s methods and techniques, enabling offenders to take steps to counter them. It may also suggest the limitations of police capabilities in this area, which may further encourage criminal/terrorist activity by exposing potential vulnerabilities. This detrimental effect is increased if the request is made to several different law enforcement bodies. In addition to the local criminal fraternity now being better informed, those intent on organised crime throughout the UK will be able to ‘map’ where the use of certain tactics are or are not deployed. This can be use information to those committing crimes. It would have the likelihood of identifying location-specific operations which would ultimately compromise police tactics, operations and future prosecutions as criminals could counteract the measures used against them.
