Heavy police presence spotted in Aylesbury town centre as facial recognition van returns
Specialist police teams were spotted in Aylesbury town centre as part of a facial recognition operation.
Thames Valley Police used its new live facial recognition vehicles (LFR) in Market Square and other central Aylesbury locations yesterday.
The force said a specialist team would operate in the area alongside local officers. The vehicle is designed to identify known suspects, deter crime and increase community safety.
"We make sure to let you know before our LFR vans are in use, so everyone stays informed about what’s happening,” the police force said last week ahead of the operation.
“While this can mean some individuals choose to avoid us, the vans can help deter crime and keep the area safer. Preventing crime is just as important as catching those who break the law."
Previously the use of facial scanning vans has resulted in arrests in Aylesbury town centre. In May, Thames Valley Police confirmed the arrest of a man who, was wanted in connection with a suspected stalking incident, who pinged on its system after a van identified him.
During the same operation, Thames Valley Police revealed that 1,580 faces were scanned during a busy three-hour period in the town.
In June, a senior councillor within Bucks Council’s cabinet praised the use of face-scanning vans. He noted that a similar day of action in High Wycombe led to the arrest of an individual wanted for “a number of years” in connection with violent offences.
Councillor Steve Bowles said in a meeting attended by the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Ultimately the purpose is to supplement officers’ ‘human’ recognition skills with that of technology, to assist us in reducing the number of outstanding offenders at large in our community.”