China Greenlights Cyber Identities in Federation Identity System
UK Police Request Additional Funding for Technology Enhancements and Expansion of Facial Recognition Use
The UK police are seeking an additional £220 million annually over the next three years to enhance their scientific and technological capabilities, including the deployment of live facial recognition (LFR) technology and other digital projects. The total police funding for England and Wales in the 2025-26 fiscal year is set at £19.6 billion, with £13.6 billion coming from the central government and £6 billion from council tax precepts.
The aim of the additional funding is to support various projects, such as developing deepfake detection capabilities, a national digital forensics platform, and a Data and Analytics Office to improve data quality and sharing. The use of LFR technology has shown promising results, with an average of 60 arrests per month facilitated by LFR units in 2024.
Increased investment in technology could lead to significant time savings for police officers. It is estimated that by scaling up tested capabilities nationally, up to 15 million hours of police time could be saved annually, potentially improving productivity in neighborhood policing and crime prevention.
However, there remain financial pressures on police forces, with much of their technology budget spent on maintaining existing systems rather than investing in new technologies. Additionally, the expansion of facial recognition technology raises privacy and ethical concerns, necessitating robust governance structures to ensure its use aligns with public trust and legal requirements.
The National Policing Digital Strategy 2025-2030 highlights the need for governance and ethics frameworks for AI and facial recognition technologies to ensure their use is responsible and compliant with legal standards. The strategy aims to balance the benefits of technology with public trust and privacy concerns.
Cybersecurity measures, including deepfake detection capabilities, are planned as part of the UK police's expansion of technology, with the aim to mitigate potential threats. Enhanced use of facial recognition technology, despite demonstrating arrest facilitation in 2024, will require robust governance structures to address privacy and ethical concerns.
