Abstract
This thesis explores the social and legal implications of the police’s use of facial recognition (FR) technology, focusing on stakeholder perspectives, regulatory frameworks, and its evolving role in policing. The research examines the integration of FR into policing practice, the adequacy of current legislation, the handling of biometric data, and the potential future of FR in law enforcement. Twenty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with academics, police professionals, civil rights advocates, government officials and representatives from independent oversight bodies. Additionally, the use of discourse analysis on publicly available documents was used to help contextualise the stakeholder interviews two years on.
The findings revealed divergent stakeholders’ views on existing guidance and legislation, yet broad agreement on the need for clearer and more robust regulatory frameworks. While FR is contributing to a shift in 21st -century policing, it is also replicating and intensifying long-standing issues such as bias, weak accountability, and disproportionate impacts on marginalised groups. Additionally, increasing commercial involvement, including police partnerships with private companies and the retail sector's use of FR, is blurring the boundaries between policing and private crime control, raising concerns around oversight and legitimacy. The discourse analysis shows that many of the issues raised by the stakeholders remained unaddressed by the government or policing.
The study concludes that the police’s use of FR technology has facilitated a new model of policing. It also argues for the need to address both the specific challenges posed by FR and the broader systemic issues in policing is essential. Without meaningful reform, the expanded use of FR risks undermining public trust and civil liberties. A transparent, accountable, and ethically informed approach is necessary to guide FR technology’s further deployment.