Big Brother fears over live facial ID as police begin £35m rollout of body-worn cameras

Body-worn video cameras could enable police officers to carry out live facial recognition - raising fears over the rise of ‘dystopian’ technology.

Chief Constable Jo Farrell said use of the devices – now being rolled out across Scotland – created ‘lots of opportunities’ in the future, including crowd surveillance.

Police hope the cameras will also be used to capture footage of high-profile arrests similar to the images of baby killer Lucy Letby, who was filmed being taken into custody at her home.

Around £35million is being spent on the rollout of body-worn video (BWV) cameras within the next 12 to 18 months.

The first officers to be equipped with the new devices after years of delays - caused by technical problems and concern over cost - are based in Tayside.

The kit is standard for police elsewhere in the UK meaning Scotland’s single force is years behind the rest of the country.

Around 750 Tayside officers, including road policing officers and dog handlers, will be issued with the new devices ‘over the coming weeks’.

More than 10,500 Home Office approved Motorola Solutions VB400 cameras will be issued to frontline officers from constable to inspector ranks, and to police custody staff, across Scotland.

Body-worn cameras for police officers are being rolled out across Scotland

Speaking in Dundee, Ms Farrell told the Mail that a consultation is under way on the use of live facial recognition and she was keen to take ‘small steps in that space’.

She said we ‘need to make sure that we do it at a reasonable pace and it will need further investment in terms of being able to look across a crowd in live time and use that technology’.

Ms Farrell said: ‘Clearly the cameras that we have are very high-quality, high-resolution, good in low light, good when the sound is difficult as well; so it does create lots of opportunities for us and will provide the best evidence into courts.

‘We have to listen carefully to what the public say but the resources are finite and if the technology enables us to identify people who are wanted for serious crimes, those who prey on vulnerable people, people who prey on children, then it’s incumbent on me to make sure that we use the technology for best effect and we derive as much benefit out of the £35million as we can.

‘But I want us to walk slowly into it so that people are reassured by it.

‘Colleagues elsewhere in the United Kingdom use it and I think we can learn from them and ensure that people have confidence and will use it appropriately and professionally, and I have every confidence we will be able to convince people [of its value].’

It is understood that the cameras currently being issued do not allow live facial recognition so the technology would need to be upgraded.

Mark Johnson, advocacy manager at Big Brother Watch, said ‘live facial recognition is a dystopian mass surveillance technology, which turns us all into walking ID cards’.

He said ‘deploying the technology in police officers’ body cams only makes it more intrusive and harder for the public to opt out of.

Cameras are focused on a specific area so, when people pass through, their images are streamed to the live facial recognition system.

It contains a list of offenders wanted by the police and/or the courts, or those who pose a risk of harm to themselves or others.

Police say the current BWV equipment can help to ‘de-escalate incidents, improve public trust in policing and reduce complaints, support officer and staff safety, and bring wider benefits to the criminal justice system’.

Footage will be shared with courts in a bid to fast-track cases by providing high-quality evidence - potentially cutting the number of trials and reducing pressure on the creaking court system.

A national rollout of BWV was a key recommendation of Lady Elish Angiolini’s independent review of police complaints, published back in 2020.

Ms Farrell said the cameras could be used for high-profile arrests.

She said: ‘We’ve seen across the UK convictions in the courts for very serious crimes whether it’s Southport [the mass stabbing of young girls which led to three deaths in July 2024], Lucy Letby and so on.

‘In time, I’m hoping that we’ll be able to give more visibility to some of these cases.’

Last night Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘Providing the appropriate safeguards are in place, facial recognition technology can play an important role in helping the police tackle crime.

‘Given the shameful delay in the rollout of body-worn cameras in Scotland, coupled with officer numbers being at their lowest level since around 2008, our overstretched police force needs all the help it can get to keep our streets safe.’

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: ‘Body-worn video can increase public confidence in policing and improve safety for police officers and staff.’