Welsh police first in UK to use facial recognition phone app
South Wales and Gwent Police are now using the app
South Wales and Gwent police officers are the first in the UK to use facial recognition mobile phone apps.
Know as Operator Initiated Facial Recognition (OIFR), the app allows them to quickly confirm the identity of a person who is missing, refuses to give ID or who provides false details.
OIFR can also be used on someone who has passed away or are unconscious. This allows officers to identify them promptly so their family can be informed.
The app has already been tested by 70 officers across South Wales, who used it in a range of scenarios where people either refused to identify themselves or provided false details.
Police say photographs taken using the app are never retained. In private places such as houses, schools, medical facilities and places of worship, they say the app will only be used in 'situations relating to a risk of significant harm'.