Facial recognition trial yields nine false alerts from 1.38 million scans
Western Australia's five-month facial recognition trial scanned 1,380,882 faces, resulted in 122 arrests and generated nine incorrect alerts.
Police in Western Australia deployed facial recognition technology across 43 locations over five months. The trial ended Saturday.
The system scanned more than 1.38 million faces in 100 deployments. It led to 122 arrests.
Officers also engaged with 146 registered sex offenders and located 10 people for welfare checks. At the Perth Royal Show alone, scanners processed 223,749 faces.
Police say the system generated nine false alerts across all 1.38 million scans. This is an error rate of about 0.00065 per cent.
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said officers followed up on every alert. They treated each one as they would if a member of the public reported a suspected wanted person.
Civil liberties advocates have disputed the error calculation. They say the real rate should be measured by how many of the 122 arrests result in convictions.
- 1,380,882
- Faces scanned
- 5 months
- Trial duration
- 122
- Arrests made
- 9
- False alerts
Why it mattersThe trial raises questions about mass surveillance accuracy, privacy protections, and whether real-time facial scanning in public spaces should continue.
AustraliaThe trial outcome will influence how Australian police forces adopt facial recognition technology, affecting privacy expectations for people in public spaces across the country.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 4 h ago
