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UK Police Seek Increased Funding for Expansion of Facial Recognition Technology
London, United Kingdom — In a significant push for modernization, UK policing is calling for substantial funding to expand the use of live facial recognition (LFR) technology across all 43 forces in England and Wales.
According to reports, the annual budget needed over the next three years amounts to around £220 million. This investment would not only scale up LFR units but also deploy other digital tools to enhance efficiency in crime prevention and response, and potentially free up more than 15 million hours of officer time each year.
Since 2024, the three forces using LFR have averaged around 60 arrests per month, with a quarter involving registered sex offenders. Employing this technology has been reported to significantly reduce investigation times and expedite the delivery of justice.
The government has already allocated £10 million for LFR vehicles for future deployment, and this summer will mark the installation of the first permanent LFR cameras in Croydon, south London, as part of a lengthy trial.
While the deployment of LFR technology is expected to become more commonplace with nearly 5 million faces scanned in the past year, it has faced backlash from leading AI research institutes. These institutions have criticized the lack of robust regulatory frameworks, expressing concerns about public trust, governance, and ethics, particularly with the rapid expansion of new uses such as emotion recognition.
If implemented nationally, this technology could save up to 15 million police hours annually, equivalent to £370 million in saved resources, by streamlining operations and reducing time spent on investigations. The future of LFR remains uncertain, as experts and civil society urge the government and police forces to address legitimate concerns around governance, transparency, and ethical standards.
- The expansion of facial recognition technology across all 43 forces in England and Wales, as sought by UK policing, will not only involve an investment in live facial recognition (LFR) units but also the deployment of other digital tools to enhance crime prevention and response.
- The rapid expansion of facial recognition technology, which has already garnered criticism from leading AI research institutes, could save up to 15 million police hours annually, equivalent to £370 million in saved resources, by streamlining operations and reducing time spent on investigations if implemented nationally.
