Police Scotland confirms intentions on future use of Live Facial Recognition
At the meeting of the Scottish Police Authority Board on 21 August 2025, Chief Officers of Police Scotland confirmed that they have taken the decision to move ahead with the future use of LFR by Police Scotland. Police Scotland confirmed to Board members that through the Police Scotland Rights Based Pathway, and continued engagement with the public and key stakeholders, they will now take time to understand the technology, governance, proportionality, and high levels of scrutiny which will be required.
A further positional update will be provided to the SPA Policing Performance Committee on 16th September 2025. The SPA Board meeting can be viewed via the following link with the discussion on LFR commencing at 15 minutes 40 seconds: https://www.spa.police.uk/what-we-do/governance-meetings/board-meeting/
The Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Dr Brian Plastow has welcomed the decision by Police Scotland and has previously advocated for it to be considered as a strategic policing response to enhance public safety in Scotland, including to protect women, girls, and children from the scourge of male violence.