Københavns Vestegns Politi (Copenhagen Vestegn Police)

The Danish Ministry of Justice, answering question 311 from the Folketing's Legal Affairs Committee on 20 December 2024 on the basis of a statement from Rigspolitiet, said that Københavns Vestegns Politi bought an IT programme in 2022 that includes, among other things, a facial recognition function. According to the answer, the function has been used in two specific cases since 2022 to find specific child victims of abuse, and the police district has since stopped using it ('har efterfølgende indstillet brugen af funktionen'). The answer does not name the programme or its supplier and does not say when use stopped. The question was put by the committee at the request of Betina Kastbjerg (DD); the details above are the ministry's answer. Ingeniøren has published an article headlined 'På Vestegnen brugte politiet allerede ansigtsgenkendelse i 2022. Stik imod alle anvisninger' ('In Vestegnen the police were already using facial recognition in 2022, contrary to all instructions'); the ministry's answer does not say whether the use followed guidance. The answer gives no supplier, legal basis or oversight arrangement, so those fields are empty.