New UK Law & Super Recognisers at Events

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Following the Manchester Arena Inquiry, the proposed "Martyn's Law" has now been released as the "Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Draft Bill".

It refers to the "enhanced duty to take security measures" at large venues, in particular, Section 15 states that, "The person responsible...must ensure that all such reasonably practicable measures are in place...to— (a) reduce the risk of acts of terrorism occurring at, or in the immediate vicinity of, the premises or event, and (b) reduce the risk of physical harm to individuals if acts of terrorism."

Given all the scientific research to show the value of human Super Recognisers by Prof Josh Davis, Dr David Robertson and other academics, the deployment of them is a "reasonably practicable measure".

The Association will be pushing venues and events to use Super Recognisers.

The proposed law can be seen here:

Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Draft Bill (publishing.service.gov.uk)

First Man Wrongly Arrested in USA - Computer Facial Recognition

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This articles shows why law enforcement needs HUMAN Super Recognisers - to identify and link offenders to multiple crimes by images AND to verify computerised facial recognition identifications. In the UK, EU and other parts of the world "human intervention" is a legal requirement before arrests are made using automated facial recognition systems.

From the Article:

In 2020, Robert Williams was arrested for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars of watches. Detroit police had matched grainy surveillance footage of the crime to Williams’ driver’s license photo using a facial recognition service. But Williams wasn’t the robber. At the time of the robbery, he was driving home from work.

Williams’ arrest was the first documented case of someone being wrongfully detained based on facial recognition technology, which is used by police departments and government agencies across the US.

Read more here:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/27/california-police-facial-recognition-software

Improvements in Facial Recognition Systems - BUT Still Humans are Needed

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A report by the National Physical Laboratory in the UK has found that there has been a “substantial improvement” in the accuracy of automated facial recognition systems and an elimination of bias against women and ethnic minorities.  The NPL noted that for watchlists of 1,000 or 10,000 people, “true positive identification rate” of live facial recognition was 89%. Previously, for a watchlist of 2,000 to 4,000 people, it was 72%.

BUT according to the Surveillance Camera Commissioner’s Code of Practice, “human intervention” is required before arrests are made as a result of a computerised identification. AND the Commissioner has further stated that: “Senior (police) officers should ask themselves how they select, train, instruct, deploy, manage and analyse the performance of the human decision maker…”

Who is better to perform this role than a HUMAN Super Recogniser? According to the US agency NIST, combining Super Recognisers and computerised facial recognition produces “near perfect results”. Unfortunately, too often, senior commanders allow any officer to verify the identification. This is putting the use of facial recognition at further risk and, more importantly, can result in innocence people being detained, whilst the guilty escape justice.  The Association can help you to find your Super Recognisers.

Report on this link:

https://science.police.uk/research/resources/operational-testing-of-facial-recognition-technology/

Super Recogniser Praised at High Profile UK Event

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SRI operatives recently deployed at a televised event in the UK. The venue cannot be named for legal reasons, but it this was a major step forward, as Super Recognisers were deployed in a security capacity for the first time post-Covid.

The security manager noted that the SRI Super Recognisers were “were fantastic, really helpful and knowledgeable. It gave another layer of security that we needed on this high profile event."

SRI is working with a successful business advisor to drive forward the use of SRs in security, especially with the introduction of Martyn’s Law (see Manchester Arena Bombing enquiry). Further details can be found below re deployment at events:

Live Deployment Super Recognisers Service - SRI (superrecognisersinternational.com)

Australian Radio Interview - Super Recognisers in Queensland

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The link below is an interview on ABC with Senior Sergeant Chris Tritton of Queensland Police, who is an Honorary Member of the Association. Chris has been a pioneer in the use of Super Recognisers in Australia and his team have solved over one thousand crimes. In recent tests, his SRs were found to be the most accurate in the world - have a listen!

https://www.abc.net.au/brisbane/programs/mornings/super-recogniser/102068642

Face Blindness - the Opposite of Super Recognition

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For anyone involved in you in law enforcement, security or border control, it is vital to find those officers and employees who are human Super Recognisers. Likewise, it is essential to know which of staff are face blind. With this knowledge, you can deploy people more effectively - according to their skill set. Face blindness is more more common than you think...and it could be dangerous to use someone suffering from the condition in a role where identification is critical. This article on Face Blindness gives more details:

"Face Blindness" Is Even More Common Than We Thought | IFLScience

Thames Valley Police use SRs to Prevent VAWG (Violence Against Women & Girls)

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Super Recognisers International Ltd are working with Thames Valley Police to select and train their human Super Recognisers. They are now being used to identify offenders for VAWG (violence against women and girls). This is a key target for UK police forces. Article below.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mike-neville-10803513_super-recognisers-key-role-in-thames-valley-activity-7037443372491399168-7TYx?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Combining Human Super Recognisers & Computer Facial Recognition

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Human Super Recognisers are NOT in competition with facial recognition systems - the two can work together. Who else is best to provide human intervention and verify computer identifications?? A report featuring the German Police - to emphasise the international use of Super Recognisers in law enforcement and security. A report below by a Swiss academic.

https://www.biometricupdate.com/202212/super-recognizers-plus-face-biometrics-could-significantly-aid-police-neuroscientist

Report on Australian Police Super Recogniser Unit

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This news report features the excellent work of Senior Sergeant Chris Tritton, who established the first Super Recogniser Unit in Australia, in the Queensland Police. Chris was awarded Honorary Fellowship of the Association in 2022 by Lord Lingfield. He travelled to London to receive it.

A great report:

https://mypolice.qld.gov.au/news/2023/03/01/qps-super-recogniser-network-helps-crack-1000-cases/