Controversial facial ID cameras in use at popular Bedford river festival

Police are using controversial facial recognition technology to try to track down offenders at a popular river festival.

The state-of-the-art cameras are being used for the first time in Bedfordshire at the festival, which usually attracts 250,000 visitors over the two days.

Police said the deployment would help to "locate the county's most wanted offenders and keep the public safe".

But the technology has been criticised by human rights organisation Liberty as a blunt tool which can discriminate against people of colour.

Police said the Live Facial Recognition technology will be in operation in and around the surrounding area of the River Festival on Saturday and Sunday.

Det Supt Aman Dhaliwal said: “Our top priorities are to ensure the safety and security of the public and deliver a safe, peaceful and enjoyable event.

“Although we have many years of experiences leading policing operations at various large-scale events, each year brings its own challenges and we’re thankful to be able to harness technology such as this for the sole purpose of fighting crime and protecting people.”

The technology works by comparing faces from a live camera feed against a police-generated watchlist in real-time.

It analyses key facial features and creates a mathematical representation of these features, known as a facial biometric template, which is then compared to known faces to find possible matches.

The watchlist includes suspects wanted for criminal offences and people with outstanding arrest warrants.

An officer will review any images flagged as a potential match to decide whether further action is needed.

Signs have been put up to warn people where the cameras are being deployed.

Police said officers would be on hand throughout the festival to keep people safe.

When asked about the police using facial recognition technology, Cllr Andrea Spice from Bedford Borough Council said: " Do you know what, if I'm being totally honest, I'm so pleased that they are because I want everybody to come down here to feel safe.

"And for me as a resident, forget about being a councillor as a resident this makes me feel safer. I've got nothing to hide. So I'm glad that the police are out here trying to protect everybody that's here."

Sam Grant, Director of Advocacy at Liberty, said the use of the technology was a "grave concern" for anyone concerned about their right to privacy.

He added: "We urge everyone attending the Bedford River Festival to be aware of the impact of facial recognition and raise concerns with their local MP. Quite simply, this technology and its surveillance-state implications, have no place in our society.”

The river festival is a huge event for Bedford and includes live entertainment and activities, a funfair, raft and dragon boat races.

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