Essex police pause facial recognition camera use after study finds racial bias
Summary
Essex Police paused the use of live facial recognition (LFR) cameras after a Cambridge University study found racial bias in identifications, with black individuals more likely to be correctly identified than other groups. The ICO highlighted accuracy and bias risks and urged mitigations, while the Home Office signals broader deployment of LFR vans; Essex Police subsequently revised policies and indicated deployments could resume with updated software and ongoing monitoring. The piece frames ongoing debates about bias, safety, and governance in AI-enabled policing.