Facial recognition trials, technology & policy documents

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.23.034275

I note you seek access to the following information:

I am writing to request the following information from your force. This is similar to another FOI also sent by myself in August 2022, but this request is intended to capture changes in the information between 2022 and 2023/24. As a result, this is to be treated as a different request intended to gather up to date information.

For the purposes of clarity, please take ‘facial recognition’ to mean any automated means of comparing a live or retrospective image against a database to discern potential identity, and ‘trial’ to mean any use on the public or internally for testing purposes. Please may you provide me with:

1/ Deployment information relating to ongoing or planned trials of live or retrospective facial recognition technology within your force area (such as number of trials, brief overview of such trials, scope and cost) during the period of 17/08/2022 to present day.

2/ Any information relating to ongoing or planned trials of similar technology which uses automated computer vision to analyse images for biometric identification purposes (such as ear recognition, vein recognition, or gait recognition)

3/ If any trials of either 1 or 2 have been carried out since 17th August 2022, please confirm number of arrests made, number of stop and searches made, number of stop and accounts made, or number of fines/other enforcement resulting from these trials.

4/ A copy of any internal policy documents or internal guidance for the development, use, or deployment of these technologies

Please provide the information in whatever format makes most sense given the data types. I do not require any emails, meeting minutes, or similar documents. Only policy or general overview documents.

Decision

I have today decided to disclose some of the requested information. Some data has been withheld as it is exempt from disclosure and therefore this response serves as a Refusal Notice under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act).

For the information requested for question 2 the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) can neither confirm nor deny whether it holds the information that you requested as the duty in Section 1(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) does not apply by virtue of the following exemptions:

Section 31(3) - Law Enforcement

Reason for decision

Section 31 - Law enforcement - The release of such information if it exists would prejudice operational policing. This could be to the detriment of providing an efficient policing service and a failure in providing a duty of care to all members of the public.

Information disclosed under the Act is considered to be a release to the world as once the information is published the public authority, in this case the MPS, has no control over what use is made of that information. Whilst not questioning the motives of the applicant it could be of use to those who seek to disrupt any police investigation or law enforcement practices as it would enable them to identify specific police vehicles.

This would lead to an increase of harm to either the investigation itself or the subject of the investigation.

By confirming or denying that any information exists, law enforcement would be compromised which would hinder the prevention and detection of crime. More crime would be committed and individuals would be placed at risk. This would result in further risks to the public and consequently require the use of more MPS resources.

Disclosure of information, if it exists would provide valuable intelligence which would be useful to criminals in identifying methods of legitimate law enforcement techniques which may or may not be used by the MPS.

Disclosure of information, if held would technically be releasing sensitive operational information into the public domain which would enable those with the time, capacity and inclination to try and map strategies used by the MPS.

Additionally, MPS resources and its ability to operate effectively and efficiently would directly be affected as information, if it exists can be manipulated by those with criminal intent to operate in those areas.

If it exists, the disclosure of this information to the public by the MPS would compromise the MPS's ability to complete any ongoing or future criminal investigations or law enforcement practices.

The release of such information if it exists would prejudice operational policing. This could be to the detriment of providing an efficient policing service and a failure in providing a duty of care to all members of the public.

Therefore, I consider that considerations favouring non-disclosure of the requested information, if it exists, far outweighs the considerations favouring disclosure.

Please note this response should not be taken to as an indication of whether or not the requested information is held.

Disclosure

Q1 - Deployment information relating to ongoing or planned trials of live or retrospective facial recognition technology within your force area (such as number of trials, brief overview of such trials, scope and cost) during the period of 17/08/2022 to present day.

This is already in the public domain at this link - Live Facial Recognition | Metropolitan Police

Q2 - Any information relating to ongoing or planned trials of similar technology which uses automated computer vision to analyse images for biometric identification purposes (such as ear recognition, vein recognition, or gait recognition).

This information is exempt under Section 31(3) as explained above.

Q3 - If any trials of either 1 or 2 have been carried out since 17th August 2022, please confirm number of arrests made, number of stop and searches made, number of stop and accounts made, or number of fines/other enforcement resulting from these trials.

This is already in the public domain at this link - Live Facial Recognition | Metropolitan Police

Q4 - A copy of any internal policy documents or internal guidance for the development, use, or deployment of these technologies.

This is already in the public domain at this link - Live Facial Recognition | Metropolitan Police