
ALT HMICFRS graphic introducing information about retrospective facial recognition. Text reads: “What is retrospective facial recognition? And what did our inspection find? Swipe to find out.” The background shows a person seated at a desk looking at multiple computer monitors displaying CCTV footage.

ALT HMICFRS graphic explaining the difference between retrospective and live facial recognition. Retrospective facial recognition searches images after an incident or during an investigation. Live facial recognition analyses live video footage of people passing a camera and compares it with a predefined watchlist. The graphic states: “Our inspection only looked at retrospective facial recognition.”

ALT HMICFRS graphic explaining the benefits of retrospective facial recognition. It says the technology can be a valuable investigative tool by helping police identify suspects and generate investigative leads quickly, helping to solve crimes including serious offences, and reducing the need for police to share images of potential suspects publicly.

ALT HMICFRS graphic outlining areas for improvement in the use of retrospective facial recognition. The inspection found that governance and oversight varied between forces; investigators did not always receive appropriate training; some potential matches were not sufficiently checked before action was taken; and some custody images that should have been deleted were still available for searches.




















