Oh no, you're thinking, yet another cookie pop-up. Well, sorry, it's the law. We measure how many people read us, and ensure you see relevant ads, by storing cookies on your device. If you're cool with that, hit “Accept all Cookies”. For more info and to customize your settings, hit “Customize Settings”.

Review and manage your consent

Here's an overview of our use of cookies, similar technologies and how to manage them. You can also change your choices at any time, by hitting the “Your Consent Options” link on the site's footer.

Manage Cookie Preferences
  • These cookies are strictly necessary so that you can navigate the site as normal and use all features. Without these cookies we cannot provide you with the service that you expect.

  • These cookies are used to make advertising messages more relevant to you. They perform functions like preventing the same ad from continuously reappearing, ensuring that ads are properly displayed for advertisers, and in some cases selecting advertisements that are based on your interests.

  • These cookies collect information in aggregate form to help us understand how our websites are being used. They allow us to count visits and traffic sources so that we can measure and improve the performance of our sites. If people say no to these cookies, we do not know how many people have visited and we cannot monitor performance.

See also our Cookie policy and Privacy policy.

This article is more than 1 year old

Cops nab suspect using CREEPY facial recog system

Looks like his dad, says computer

British cops used a new facial recognition system to snare a shoplifting suspect whom they say was automatically identified due to his resemblance to criminal relatives, The Register has learned.

In a development that may strike fear into members of well-known underworld families, Leicestershire plod told us a new system called NeoFace can finger crims simply by comparing their features to a database of snaps of arrested suspects.

The force are halfway through a six-month trial of the software, which uses facial recognition to help officers solve crimes. They spoke to the press about their experience for the first time this week, as other police forces paid close attention to the force's findings.

The Metropolitan Police Force is due to visit Leicestershire this week to scope out NeoFace, it is understood, while the Essex and Kent forces have already been to check out the system. French and Romanian officers have also been in contact to express an interest.

Although a positive identification is not enough evidence to result in a conviction, it helps officers in their line of enquiry. They could, for instance, carry out DNA checks on a crime scene or organise an identify parade, both of which carry weight in court.

Dave Harper, spokesperson for Leicestershire Police, told us that although the shoplifting suspect's case had not yet gone to trial, officers were delighted with the new system, which has been used in 200 cases.

"The officer came in with CCTV images of a shoplifting suspect he didn't recognise. We ran his image through the facial recognition system and his father and brother both popped up, because the family all have strong and shared facial characteristics."

Using the system is "more of an art than it is a science", because it still requires some level of human operation, he said.

It requires a front-facing, mugshot-style image, which greatly increases the chances of an accurate match. Images are automatically compared against a database of photographs of people the police have arrested - who can be innocent or guilty.

Cops are allowed to keep photographs for five years before deleting them, as long as the subject agrees. Leicestershire Police alone has pictures of 90,000 people on their system. If the system rolls out across the whole country, this could mean millions of people's pictures are available for analysis.

In the bad old days, police used to keep a massive book full of photographs, which cops and crime victims would root through to identify suspects - a process which could take days.

NeoFace speeds this up enormously.

"The system doesn't discriminate," Harper added. "Whether you are black or white, male or female, it works the same, looking for facial characteristics and them matching them. Perhaps a person has a mole or their ears are high up on their head. The system picks that up."

NeoFace was recently used to identify and arrest a man for carrying out two armed robberies on the Chicago Transit Authority train system last year. ®

 

Similar topics

TIP US OFF

Send us news


Other stories you might like