Arrests after facial recognition tool used in town

A man was arrested on suspicion of domestic stalking after police used facial recognition technology in Huddersfield for the first time.

Officers said the man was one of three people to be detained after an operation in the town last week.

The technology has been criticised by civil liberty groups, although West Yorkshire Police said its use helped it catch offenders and protect the public.

A suspect wanted on warrant and a shoplifter were also arrested with the help of facial recognition tools last week.

Police said the technology compared live camera images against a watchlist of wanted individuals and suspects and that any alerts generated by the system were reviewed by trained officers before action was taken.

It has previously been used elsewhere in West Yorkshire, with 60 suspects having been arrested across the region during a recent operation.

Ch Insp Dan Tillett said: "Since we launched live facial recognition (LFR) in West Yorkshire, we have taken great care in deploying the technology in places where intelligence has identified it would be most beneficial.

"As a force, we're accountable for the use of LFR and are clear that we are not using it for mass surveillance or indiscriminate monitoring, but rather as a targeted tool designed to support front-line officers."

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