South Wales Police mobile phone facial recognition app condemned

Civil rights campaigners are condemning a move by South Wales Police to trial a facial recognition app on officers' mobile phones.

The force is already facing a legal challenge to the technology's use. It says the app only be used when both necessary and proportionate and it'll be closely monitored.

Fifty officers will be involved in the three month trial.

Following the rollout of the technology in 2017, the force admitted it wrongly matched more than 2,000 people as possible criminals at the Champions League Final in Cardiff.

South Wales Police said at the time "no facial recognition system is 100% accurate" and the accuracy of the system has continued to improve.

• 2,000 people wrongly identified as possible criminals at Champions League

• Calls to stop facial recognition trials as MPs question legality

• First court battle to challenge police use of facial recognition technology starts in Cardiff

Detective Chief Constable Richard Lewis of South Wales Police said the app will help officers access "instant actionable data". He said police officers will only be using the new technology where it is a"necessary and proportionate" and the trial will be "closely monitored.

Civil Rights group Liberty argues the technology is intrusive.

Hannah Couchman from the organisation called the move "shameful" and a "gross abuse of power"

"This technology destroys our anonymity in public spaces, chilling our ability to take part in protests and increasing state control over every one of us", she added.