United Kingdom, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire Police
Live facial recognition
ProposedOfficial publicationPAI-9A565737
- Body
- North Yorkshire Police
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Area
- North Yorkshire
- Technology
- Live facial recognition
- Supplier
- Not stated in the source
- Status
- Proposed
Planned by a named body: a procurement, approved budget, announced pilot or consultation. Not yet in use. - Stage
- On the horizon
- Since
- Not known
- Legal basis
- Not stated in the source
- Oversight
- The York and North Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime, Jo Coles, said on 2 April 2026 that she was seeking assurances on data storage, access and sharing, proportionality and oversight, where and when the technology would be used, and the risk of 'mission creep', and that public concerns would be represented in her regular online public meetings with the force. An online public meeting hosted by the Combined Authority's policing, fire and crime team on 13 July 2026 discussed facial recognition and AI.
- Evidence
- Official publication
Police force, government department or public body publication - Source
- North Yorkshire Police news release, 2 April 2026
- Last checked
- Record code
PAI-9A565737
Notes
On 2 April 2026 North Yorkshire Police said it was exploring the roll-out of live facial recognition; it said it had not previously used the technology and was not currently investing in new LFR capability, and that it was preparing to use regional assets and align with national guidance. Deployments would be in "carefully selected, intelligence-led locations" against a watchlist that is deleted at the end of each deployment, with images that do not match deleted immediately. On 23 July 2026 Chief Constable Tim Forber said he expected it to be used in North Yorkshire "in the coming months" (This is the Coast). ID Tech reported on 21 September 2026 that the force had scheduled its first deployment for 23 September 2026 in York city centre, and that it planned to publish results within seven days; no source read confirms that it took place. No supplier or equipment is named.
Other systems used by North Yorkshire Police
| Deployment | Country | Supplier | Since | Status | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Yorkshire PoliceAI-enabled CCTV search and analysis tool | United KingdomNorth Yorkshire | — | — | Trial |
Live facial recognition elsewhere in United Kingdom
See them in the tracker| Deployment | Country | Supplier | Since | Status | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Transport PoliceLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomLondon rail and Underground network | NEC (NeoFace M40) | 2026 | Trial | |
| Metropolitan PoliceLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomLondon | NEC (NeoFace) | 2020 | Operational | |
| South Wales PoliceLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomWales | NEC (NeoFace) | 2017 | Operational | |
| Essex PoliceLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomForce area | Corsight AI (Apollo 4), with Digital Barriers | 2024 | Operational | |
| West Yorkshire PoliceLive and Retrospective Facial Recognition | United KingdomForce area | Not specified in source | 2025 | Operational | |
| Greater Manchester PoliceLive and Retrospective Facial Recognition | United KingdomForce area | Not specified in source | 2025 | Operational | |
| Police ScotlandLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomScotland | Not applicable -- not yet deployed | 2024 | Proposed | |
| Merseyside PoliceLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomMerseyside, including Southport and Birkenhead town centres | — | 2025 | Operational | |
| Thames Valley PoliceLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomThames Valley, first deployed in Oxford city centre | — | 2025 | Operational | |
| Northamptonshire PoliceLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomNorthamptonshire | — | 2023 | Trial | |
| Bedfordshire PoliceLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomBedfordshire | NEC (NeoFace Watch), according to NEC | 2025 | Operational | |
| Surrey PoliceLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomSurrey | NEC Software | 2025 | Operational |