Western Australia Police Deploy Real-Time Facial Recognition Cameras
Western Australia Police began a real-time facial recognition camera trial on 19 June 2026, the first of its kind in Australia. The Overt Live Facial Recognition system scans crowds in designated public spaces and alerts officers to matches against a database of wanted suspects, missing people, and offenders. Police say human operators make final assessments, but critics describe the deployment as an overreach introduced without public consultation.
What happened
Western Australia Police deployed Overt Live Facial Recognition technology in an Australia-first trial beginning 19 June 2026, mounting cameras on or near marked police vans in designated public spaces.
The system scans crowds to detect faces and compares them against a database of alert list targets including over 4,000 people with outstanding warrants, approximately 4,000 people on child sex offender lists who have completed sentences, serious offence suspects, and missing people.
When a match reaches a predetermined confidence threshold, an operator is alerted and retains the image. Police Commissioner Col Blanch stated trained officers make the final assessment before taking action.
Reported impact
Police said the technology will reduce response times compared to manual facial recognition, which previously took hours to confirm identification.
Critics characterised the deployment as a 'massive overreach' introduced without public consultation.
Index analysis
The alert list database contains only 'lawfully held police images' according to police, though critics raised concerns about surveillance scope.
The technology has a record of over 2,000 arrests in the UK where it has been used.
Governance controls
Police stated human operators assess matches rather than automatically arresting based on detections.
The alert list is described as 'strictly controlled' and uploaded before camera deployment.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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