‘No plan’ for facial recognition technology in South Shields
South Tyneside Council has no plans to use facial recognition technology to “track shoplifters”, the local authority’s CCTV boss has confirmed.
National news reports this year indicated the Home Office was looking to expand the use of facial recognition software.
The department reportedly asked companies to make suggestions of how they could improve the way the technology is used by the Government, including around policing.
The technology can cover ‘live’ facial recognition, as well as retrospective facial recognition, to establish who a person is against a database.
The UK’s largest police force, the Metropolitan Police, has already tested the technology in a drive to catch prolific shoplifters in London.
However, council bosses in South Tyneside said the local authority has not followed suit and has no plans to currently.
“We don’t have that technology locally and there’s certainly no plans for it”, said Scott Bentley, the local authority’s CCTV service manager.
“I think it would be useful in some situations and it’s very expensive as well.
“Again I think it’s around proportionality. From what I understand, nationally the police are going to use it in terms of prolific shoplifters.
“But locally it’s not something that we use or currently plan to”.
The council officer was speaking at a recent meeting of the Hebburn Community Area Forum (CAF) in October, 2023, following a presentation on CCTV in the town and wider borough.
The comments were in response to a public question over whether there were any plans to use facial recognition technology to “track shoplifters”.
South Tyneside Council operates nearly 300 cameras across the borough, with a mix of public space CCTV cameras and other cameras.
This includes cameras linked to the council’s four high-rise blocks, fire and intruder alarm monitoring systems and town centre management.
A team of around a dozen council staff work from a central control room monitoring cameras and liaising with the police and other organisations in the borough.
The main focus of the service includes crime and disorder and anti-social behaviour, as well as monitoring day-time and night-time economies, event management, public safety and vulnerable and missing people.
According to borough-wide information provided to the Hebburn CAF, 161 cameras are linked to council buildings, along with 59 cameras in public places, 28 waste services cameras and 27 cameras linked to the council’s housing management company South Tyneside Homes.
In addition, there are around 10 cameras at car parks and four cameras linked to council ‘highway assets’.
CCTV manager Scott Bentley said data collected is heavily regulated and that national research has shown CCTV has a positive impact on reducing certain crimes, namely drug-related, vehicle and property offences.
Other benefits of CCTV include evidence gathering, increasing the “perceived risk of getting caught” and reassuring the public that areas are safer, leading to more people using them.
The council officer added: “If CCTV is monitored by trained staff, which ours is in our control room, that increases again any reductions in crime as we’re proactively looking for activity.
“When combined with other security measures CCTV can reduce crime by up to 34%.
“I think sometimes people come to me and say they need CCTV in a particular area because there’s a specific problem, it’s not a silver bullet and it doesn’t magically solve all the problems.
“But it’s really helpful and much more effective when there are other things happening as well, whether it’s better lighting or more of a police presence”.
Before the council can install a CCTV camera at a new location it needs to provide evidence that it is “appropriate and necessary”, with some cameras recently being moved to new locations as part of a wider review.
South Tyneside Council has also seen a recent modernisation programme with £650,000 invested into a relocated CCTV control room with new technology, along with upgraded cameras across the borough.
Council CCTV chief Scott Bentley told the CAF: “We have had this huge investment into the service which has brought us to a level but we need to be basically fit-for-purpose for five or ten years time.
“When new technology comes along if there’s different services or support that the council want us to provide we’re ready and able to deliver those”.