Face recognition cameras

06th August 2007

Could this be the solution to tracing uninsured drivers? Electronics giant NEC has developed face-recognition tech­nology that allows cameras to identify motorists – and passengers – in a car.

Hong Kong’s border patrol has introduced the first units. An NEC spokes­man said: “There is the potential to use it for policing roads in the UK.”

The system works by taking an image of the driver, then a computer compares it with photos listed on the country’s licence database to find a match. A second camera with auto­matic number plate recognition (ANPR) reads the regis­tration, and checks the motorist is authorised to use the car.

NEC is developing the set-up so it can also monitor passengers – even those in the rear. Existing UK ANPR systems can tell if a car is insured, but rely on vehicles being correctly registered with the DVLA to trace the driver. With the new set-up, they could be tracked by photo ID licence.

The National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA) – which conducts tests on such kit, and buys it for forces – said: “We are currently assessing the potential for automated face recog­nition within law enforcement.”

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