Overview
- Officials are consulting on rules for live, retrospective and operator‑initiated use, including how watchlists are built, who authorizes deployments and what oversight applies.
- The plan asks whether police should gain wider access to passport, driving licence and immigration photo databases to match CCTV, doorbell and dashcam images.
- Government funding includes £12.6 million last year and £6.6 million this year, with £3.9 million earmarked to develop a national facial‑matching service now in testing.
- The Metropolitan Police cite 1,300 arrests in two years and more than 100 sex offenders found breaching licence conditions, with trials also used for immigration enforcement.
- Civil liberties groups warn of mass surveillance and misidentification risks and note the EHRC’s finding that the Met’s live‑facial‑recognition policy was unlawful, while ministers say new laws could take around two years.