![](https://emergencyservicestimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ESS-Button-resized.png")
Since its launch in December 2024, more than 500 police officers across South Wales and Gwent have been trained to use a pioneering mobile facial recognition app — marking a significant step forward for UK policing technology.
The app, known as Operator Initiated Facial Recognition (OIFR), allows officers to confirm the identity of individuals in near real time — with just the touch of a button.
South Wales and Gwent are the first police forces in the country to adopt this technology, which has already proven instrumental in identifying people who are missing, at risk of harm, wanted by police, or suspected of committing a crime. The app is particularly useful when individuals are unable, unwilling, or intentionally refuse to provide accurate personal details. It also supports officers in more sensitive circumstances, such as identifying individuals who are unconscious or deceased, allowing next of kin to be contacted promptly and appropriately.
“These examples have allowed officers to quickly identify individuals who have refused to give details or given false details before taking appropriate action depending on the circumstances. These have included individuals who were found in suspicious circumstances and identified through the use of the app having given false details.”
Inspector Ben Gwyer, who leads the facial recognition programme across the two forces.
In South Wales, OIFR has already been used in 50 cases, resulting in 10 arrests, two individuals reported for summons, two identifications relating to non-criminal matters, and six cases requiring no further action. In Gwent, six identifications have been completed, including three positive matches. Two cases involved concerns for the individual’s safety, and one led to the arrest of a man who provided false details. The app helped identify him as wanted for shoplifting, assault, and a motoring offence. He was subsequently charged and convicted.
One high-profile case involved the identification of a 38-year-old man in Cardiff who was wanted on a European Arrest Warrant. The individual had been sought by Polish authorities for drug trafficking and assaulting a police officer with a deadly weapon in 2012. Thanks to the app, he was swiftly identified, remanded in custody, and brought before Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
While the technology offers substantial benefits, its use is governed by clear protocols designed to protect individual rights. Images captured through the app are not stored, and officers are trained on appropriate use in private or sensitive environments — including homes, schools, hospitals, and places of worship — to ensure a careful balance between public safety and personal privacy.
Inspector Gwyer emphasised that the app enhances, but does not replace, traditional policing methods. “Police officers have always been able to stop someone they believe is missing or wanted. This technology doesn’t replace that, but it does offer a faster, more accurate way to confirm someone’s identity where it is necessary and proportionate to do so — ultimately helping to keep individuals and the wider public safe.”
To read similar articles, check out our Technology channel
