Facial Recognition: The Future of Policing? | Ex-Detectives Analyse

Could facial recognition become the biggest breakthrough in catching criminals since DNA matching?

Live facial recognition is becoming an increasingly powerful tool for police — but as the technology expands, so does the debate over privacy, surveillance, regulation and the rights of innocent people caught on camera.

In this episode of Crime Time Inc., former Scottish detectives Tom Wood and Simon McLean examine the growing use of facial recognition technology, CCTV and digital evidence in modern policing.

Tom argues that facial recognition could become as important to criminal investigations as fingerprints, CCTV and DNA, while Simon puts the opposing arguments to him: should police be able to routinely scan thousands of innocent people simply because the technology can identify wanted suspects?

They discuss the need for safeguards, regulation and courtroom scrutiny, as well as the increasing importance of CCTV, doorbell cameras and other visual evidence in major investigations.

The conversation also explores identification evidence and corroboration in Scottish criminal law. Tom explains why identifying a suspect is only part of the evidential picture — and why another independent strand of evidence can be crucial.

Then the discussion turns to police warrants and the reality of tracking down wanted people. Tom and Simon explain the different types of warrants officers encounter, including non-payment warrants, non-appearance warrants, arrest warrants, search warrants, European Arrest Warrants, extradition and surveillance warrants.

Drawing on their own policing careers, they recall the days of folders containing hundreds of outstanding warrants, early-morning attempts to trace wanted suspects, prisoner escorts across Britain — and one memorable flight involving a prisoner facing 22 years behind bars and a final whisky.

Finally, Tom considers what happens when artificial intelligence, facial recognition and police databases begin working together. Could officers eventually receive real-time alerts identifying wanted people as they move through towns and cities? And could technology help policing compensate for growing pressure on resources across the criminal justice system?

In this episode:

00:00 — Cold Open

00:59 — Facial Recognition: The Future of Policing?