Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of police forces using facial recognition technology to identify individuals not sought in connection to ongoing criminal investigations.

Watchlists for live facial recognition deployments are compiled by the police and are specific to the operational requirements of each deployment

The College of Policing have published national guidance which sets out the categories of people that can be included on watchlists. They include people who are wanted either by the police or by the courts, missing persons, vulnerable people and people who could be a danger to themselves or others.

In each case there must be appropriate justification and authorisation, always passing the tests of necessity, proportionality and use for a policing purpose.