Following an evidence session in November 2023, the Welsh Affairs
Committee has published follow-up correspondence from Wales’ four
Police and Crime Commissioners:
-
(Police and Crime
Commissioner for Dyfed-Powys)
- Eleri Thomas (Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent)
-
(Police and Crime
Commissioner for North Wales)
- Rt Hon (Police and Crime
Commissioner for South Wales)
The Police and Crime Commissioners set out their responses to
their force’s PEEL assessments, noting the steps that are being
taken to address misconduct in their respective forces, and
outlining some of the key collaboration arrangements for Policing
in Wales.
The Committee in particular notes the use of facial technology
used at music concerts for Beyonce in 2023 and Slipknot in 2020,
which were both held in Cardiff. While Police and Crime
Commissioner Michael is unable to confirm whether the deployment
of facial technology deterred offences at the Beyonce concert, he
notes that there were no matches to the watchlist or arrests
made. In relation to the Slipknot concert, organised crime,
involving mobile phone thefts, was disrupted with one arrest made
and no phones reported stolen or missing at the event. Police and
Crime Commissioner Michael notes “Based on the theft at the
previous events, without the preventative deployment, South Wales
Police would have probably have had to investigate the theft of
some 54 phones at a cost of £12,744 while the savings to Society
generally is estimated at £439,668”.
Summarising South Wales Police’s use of the technology, PCC
Michael noted that it had been deployed around eighty times,
leading to seventy-five arrests, with no false arrests and no
complaints at time of deployment.
