Avon and Somerset Police

In a Freedom of Information response (request dated 8 April 2025, reference 490-25; response undated), Avon and Somerset Police confirms it has used retrospective facial recognition with body-worn video footage in incidents of disorder, drawing on the Police National Database. It says it holds no central record of the dates and locations, and that finding them would take more than 18 hours, so that part was refused under Section 12. It holds no information on live facial recognition or operator-initiated facial recognition deployments. A later response (request dated 3 February 2026, reference 13982808) says the force uses 'facial searching through the Police National Database', provided by the Home Office, and also states 'We do not use any facial recognition software'; it neither confirms nor denies covert automatic facial recognition, citing Sections 23(5), 24(2) and 31(3). The force's statements are recorded as made.