Met Chief Dismisses Proposal to Abandon Live Facial Recognition at Notting Hill Carnival

The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police has reiterated calls during the Notting Hill Carnival this weekend to halt the use of live facial recognition cameras amid concerns about racial bias and ongoing legal disputes.

In a letter, Mark Lowry stated that the technology would be utilized “in a non-discriminatory manner” at Europe’s largest street carnival, employing an algorithm that “is not biased.”

This response came after letters from 11 anti-racist and civil liberty organizations were revealed in The Guardian, urging the Met to discontinue the technology’s use at events honoring African-Caribbean communities.

Among those organizations are Runnymede Trust, Liberty, Big Brother Watch, The Race on the Agenda, and Human Rights Watch. They emphasized in a letter to Rowley on Saturday that such technology would only “increase concerns about state authority and racial misconduct within your forces.”

Critics argue that the police lack a legal framework, allowing them to “self-regulate” their technological practices, which leads to the deployment of biased algorithms affecting ethnic minorities and women.

Last month, the Met announced plans to deploy a specialized camera at the exit of the two-day event in west London. Annually, the carnival attracts over two million attendees, making it the world’s second-largest street festival during the August bank holiday weekend.

In his correspondence with NGOs and charities, Rowley recognized that previous technology deployments at the 2016 and 2017 carnivals failed to foster public trust. The Met’s earlier facial recognition system has since been enhanced, with 102 individuals mistakenly identified as suspects without being arrested.

“We have made significant strides since then. The latest version of the algorithm has undergone substantial improvements with independent testing and validation, achieving a much higher standard,” said Laurie.

He mentioned that the technology would focus on “minority individuals” involved in severe crimes, such as violence and sexual offenses.

Laurie noted that in 2024, there were 349 arrests made at the event for serious offenses including murder, rape, and possession of weapons.

“These crimes pose a threat to those wanting to enjoy the carnival safely. The use of LFRs is part of a broader strategy to identify, disrupt, and prevent threats from minority groups,” he explained.

Civil Liberties Group urged the Met to cease the use of LFR cameras last month following a high court challenge by anti-knife activist Sean Thompson. Thompson, a Black man from the UK, was wrongly identified by LFR technology as a suspect and faced police questioning due to fingerprint misidentification.

Laurie’s letter did not reply to Thompson’s claims but countered the assertion that police operate without a legal framework, noting that the Equality Act 2010 obligates public institutions to eliminate discrimination. He also mentioned that the use of LFR technology is covered under the European Convention on Human Rights and the Data Protection Act.

In response to Laurie’s letter, Rebecca Vincent, interim director of Civil Liberties Group Big Brother Watch, remarked: “Participants in this cultural celebration.”

“Everyone wants to ensure public safety, but transforming the Carnival into a police lineup is not the solution.”