Scottish police watchdog urges facial recognition to curb football disorder

Craig Naylor, the HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS), has called for the adoption of live facial recognition technology and drones to combat rising crime and football-related disorder. In his annual report, Naylor emphasized that the Scottish Government and police must be ambitious in utilizing these tools to mitigate threats from organized crime, violent offenders, and high-risk sex offenders.

The recommendation follows several incidents of significant violence during the Scottish Premiership season, including clashes between Celtic and Rangers supporters. Naylor described recent disorder as a situation that “cannot continue to be tolerated,” citing failures in matchday safety and planning. He suggested that implementing facial recognition could help prevent banned individuals from attending matches.

While facial recognition has been utilized by police forces in England, its deployment in Scotland remains a subject of public consultation due to concerns regarding privacy, civil liberties, and identification accuracy. Police Scotland has indicated a duty to explore new technologies to safeguard communities.