An individual has been apprehended on the grounds of alleged sexual assault after the use of live facial recognition technology in Southend-on-Sea. The equipment was deployed along the beachfront and High Street on Sunday, August 25, 2024, and on the Bank Holiday on Monday, August 26, 2024.
This was the equipment’s second deployment since Essex Police purchased it. During the Clacton Airshow on August 22 and 23, the system’s initial use resulted in five positive notifications, which subsequently led to three arrests.
In Southend, there were five affirmative alarms, leading to the apprehension of two individuals. One incident involved the act of harassing someone, while the other incident involved the act of sexually assaulting someone. In another case, a voluntary interview was scheduled.
The technique is employed to locate individuals sought for grave offences, such as acts of violence or sexual misconduct. The system compares individuals’ facial features with those on a designated ‘watch list’ to safeguard individuals who are susceptible and in danger of potential damage.
If your face is not included in the watch list, the technology swiftly erases your image within a fraction of a second. The data is neither retained nor saved in a database. The device has remarkable ingenuity as it can identify an individual’s face even when a scarf, sunglasses, or face mask partially obscure it.
Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow said: “This was another successful deployment where we’ve brought suspects into custody and progressed our investigations. With five arrests from our first two deployments, we’ve seen Live Facial Recognition technology can be an effective tool in finding people we want to speak to
“This technology is an investment in our communities. It’s an effective way of finding people we want to speak to and keeping the public safe, as our first two deployments have shown.
“This technology can be a more efficient use of resources than having officers undertaking various time-consuming enquiries to locate them. It means those officers can do other work to protect and help the public, as well as further investigations.
“Cutting-edge technology is important in protecting the public, responding to and investigating crimes, and getting justice for victims. Criminals cannot think they can walk around our communities without being caught.”
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.