Facial recognition tech leads to arrests at festival

A facial recognition camera in action

Two people have been arrested after facial recognition technology was used for the first time at a riverside festival.

Bedfordshire Police said two people were arrested due to the live facial recognition (LFR) technology at the Bedford River Festival over the weekend.

The cameras were used at two main thoroughfares during the biennial event which has attracted more than 250,000 visitors.

Police said the technology led to the arrest of two individuals wanted on court warrants, but it also detected four people who had court-imposed conditions or requirements against them.

Bedfordshire Police said it would consider using the technology at other events

In total 10 people were arrested during the event which the force said was due to work done promoting awareness of police activity.

The leader of the LFR team, Det Supt Aman Dhaliwal, said he was pleased with the results from the use of the technology.

"It is a tactic that prevents and detects crime that we will certainly be considering for future operations and events," he said.