Ministry of Defence Police: Biometrics
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to equip Ministry of Defence Police with Live Facial Recognition vans.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones
The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) does not possess its own Live Facial Recognition (FR) van for deployments. However, the MDP continues to collaborate with national policing partners, with ongoing discussions regarding access to regional Live FR vans and their integration into existing operations or joint deployments.
Alternative facial recognition methods have been investigated, including the use of the Police National Database (PND), which offers facial recognition based on imagery. This approach is more readily accessible to the MDP by leveraging CCTV footage from Ministry of Defence estates or infrastructure.
The MDP acknowledges that with any use of facial recognition technology, it is important to balance privacy and protection concerns, while also considering legal and ethical implications.
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