Guidance

Facing the camera

Good practice and guidance for the police use of overt surveillance camera systems incorporating facial recognition technology to locate persons on a watchlist.

Documents

Facing the camera

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Details

This guidance is produced by the Surveillance Camera Commissioner (the SCC) to assist police forces in England and Wales to comply with their statutory obligations arising from Section 33 Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (PoFA) and the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice (SC Code).

This publication has been prepared to assist in the considerations which are to be applied by police forces who are operating or intending to operate overt surveillance camera systems in public places in England and Wales together with facial recognition technology to locate persons who are on watchlist.

The guidance is to be read in conjunction with the SC Code. It does not affect changes to that Code.

Updates to this page

Published 15 March 2019
Last updated 3 December 2020 + show all updates
  1. The guidance has been updated following the recommendations made in the Bridges v South Wales police court judgement.

  2. First published.

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