Mayor forced to reveal handheld live facial recognition trial to be rolled out in London following questioning by Zoë Garbett AM  

The Mayor today confirmed for the first time that the Metropolitan Police Service is trialling handheld facial recognition devices, following persistent questioning by Green Party London Assembly Zoë Garbett. [1] 

In a significant disclosure, the Mayor acknowledged that officers are being equipped with mobile Operator-Initiated Facial Recognition (OIFR) technology capable of scanning and identifying people on the spot, a development that had not previously been made public despite the fact that the Met’s website explicitly states that it does not use this technology. [2] 

Zoë Garbett AM pressed the Mayor for clarity on this technology, and he revealed the six-month pilot involves around 100 devices, with approximately £763,000 allocated to the programme. Despite the scale of this expansion in surveillance powers, there is currently very limited publicly available information about how the trial will operate, what privacy safeguards are in place, how data will be stored or the legal basis authorising its use. 

Big Brother Watch found serious racial bias in South Wales Police’s use of OIFR with non-white members of the public being almost four times as likely to be subjected to an OIFR scan than white people. [3] 

Reacting to this news Zoë Garbett, Green Party London Assembly Member said: 

“It’s shocking that I had to force the Mayor to disclose that they are trailing operator-initiated facial recognition technology. Londoners deserve transparency when it comes to such a fundamental expansion of police powers. 

“What’s even more concerning is the Met’s website explicitly says they do not use this technology.  

“We already have no clear legal framework for live facial recognition and now it’s being further expanded with handheld devices that allow officers to walk up and scan people’s faces. 

“In Britain, no one has to identify themselves to police without very good reason and this unregulated technology threatens that fundamental right. 

“Live facial recognition subjects everyone to surveillance, which goes against the democratic principle that people should not be monitored unless there is suspicion of wrongdoing. 

“With the government’s consultation only just closed, pressing ahead with expansion makes a mockery of the process. What’s the point of asking for public views if the expansion of surveillance technology just continues regardless? 

“The rapid and unchecked deployment of this technology must stop and robust protections must be put in place to safeguard our rights.”