Horse fair facial recognition supported, police say
BBCLive facial recognition at an annual horse fair is supported by the community, a police force has said.
The technology is being used at Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria for the first time this year.
Billy Welch, the Gypsy and traveller representative on the fair's organising group, said most of the community did not mind "at all" the use of the technology.
Det Supt Dan St Quintin, from Cumbria Police, said the high-tech cameras helped make the fair a more enjoyable experience for everyone.
More than 200 officers will be working 24/7 over the weekend in what is set to be Cumbria Police's biggest operation.
"The vast majority of the Gypsy Roma and traveller community would like live face recognition here because they feel safe," Quintin explained.
"I've had feedback from them and because we've got higher numbers this year, the main reason for that is because they feel safe and feel like they can come, knowing that the troublemakers in their community are put off from coming, so they feel like they're able to come for the first time in a lot of years."
Welch said he also supported the use of the technology.
"Every major festival, every large gathering like Appleby, if you go through the airport, they've got facial recognition," Welch said.
"It's just everywhere. It's just a part of life now. And myself, personally, I'm not really bothered about it. The majority of Gypsies and travellers don't mind it at all. And if you've done nothing wrong, well, you've got nothing to worry about."
Tens of thousands of visitors come to Appleby every year, with as many as an extra 50,000 people expected in the town this weekend.
Danny Jones, from Cardiff, who first came to the fair 30 years ago, is one of them.
"The atmosphere you got here, you can't buy it. You've got to come here, and you've got to experience it," he said.
"I've met a lot of travelling people in my time. I'm not a traveller myself as such.
"They're honourable people to deal with. I bought off them, I sold to them, friendly with them. I really enjoy it."
