No 'compelling need' shown for face scanning tech plan by Police Scotland, SNP Government told

Chief Constable Jo Farrell announced last month she wanted to to “open up conversations” about the use of the artificial intelligence-powered biometric tech, insisting it would be an “abdication” of her duties if she failed to “keep pushing” to reach a point where it can be utilised “appropriately and without bias”.

However, as revealed by Scotland on Sunday last week, experts have raised serious concerns about the use of LFR, with one internationally recognised authority in the regulation and governance of new technologies warning it was “not for purpose in its deployments”.

Now, Liam McArthur has pressed the Scottish Government for answers around its engagement with Police Scotland on the contentious proposal amid fears the rollout of LFT is being treated as “an inevitable consequence of the march of technology”.

He has submitted scores of written questions to Scottish ministers seeking answers over how such software would be deemed compatible with equalities and civil liberties concerns. The Orkney Islands MSP has also sought clarification over what steps would be taken to prevent hostile actors from providing or exploiting it.

He told The Scotsman: “I am concerned that decisions that dramatically reframe the relationship between the police and the public are being treated as an inevitable consequence of the march of technology.

“There needs to be a compelling need, an appropriate legal basis and a proper public debate before the police can consider moving forward with measures like this. That simply has not happened. If the Scottish Government share these concerns, then they have been awfully quiet about it.”

Mr McArthur pointed out that during the last session of the Scottish Parliament, concerns around the future use of LFR in Scottish policing were heard “loudly and clearly”. A report by Holyrood's justice subcommittee criticised LFR's “lack of accuracy” and concluded it was “currently not fit for use by Police Scotland”.

At present, LFR, which compares a live camera feed, or multiple feeds, of faces against a predetermined watchlist, is only routinely used by two UK forces - the Met and South Wales Police. An independent report on the former force’s LFR rollout found matches were verifiably correct on just 19 per cent of occasions, although the Met insists the tech is now exceeding accuracy expectations. South Wales Police’s use of LFR has produced 2,833 false alerts.

Mr McArthur, who has also asked the Scottish Government about false positive and negative rates of any tech proposed by Police Scotland, said: “Ministers and senior officers need to set out why these decisions are being taken and answer for the consequences.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats believe the police need to be provided with the resources they need to do their jobs. At the same time, the public should have confidence that their rights will be protected. These proposals should not simply be waved through.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The lawful, effective and proportionate use of any technology with facial recognition capability is an operational matter for Police Scotland, who must abide by the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner’s statutory code of practice.”