Facial recognition technology (FOI)Facial recognition technology (FOI)
Produced by the Freedom of Information officeAuthored by Government of Jersey on behalf of the States of Jersey Police and published on
19 September 2019.Prepared internally, no external costs.
Request
A
Has the States of Jersey Police used facial recognition technology in a public location in the past three years?
If yes, how many times has this technology been deployed?
B
Excluding Sand Street carpark and onboard emergency vehicles (ie police cars), has the States of Jersey Police used Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology in public places in the past three years? For example, on the Island's CCTV network.
C
Has the Government of Jersey or any organisation acting on behalf of the Government of Jersey used facial recognition technology in any Government owned building or location in the past three years?
If yes, in which buildings or locations has this technology been deployed?
Response
A
The States of Jersey Police have not used overt facial recognition technology on any of their sites within the last three years. The States of Jersey Police (SOJP) can neither confirm nor deny that any facial recognition technology has been used in the past three years for covert law enforcement work, and Article 10 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 (the FOI Law) has been applied.
B
The States of Jersey Police can confirm that, on certain occasions, they have used the Jersey Customs and Immigration Service’s overt harbour based ANPR system. The States of Jersey Police can neither confirm nor deny that any ANPR technology has been used in the past three years for covert law enforcement work, and Article 10 of the FOI Law has been applied.
C
Neither the Government of Jersey, nor any organisation acting on behalf of the Government of Jersey have used overt facial recognition technology on any of their sites within the last three years. The Government of Jersey, and any organisation acting on behalf of the Government of Jersey, can neither confirm nor deny that any facial recognition technology has been used in the past three years for covert law enforcement work and Article 10 of the FOI Law is engaged.
Article Applied
Article 10 Obligation of scheduled public authority to confirm or deny holding information
(1) Subject to paragraph (2), if –
(a) a person makes a request for information to a scheduled public authority; and
(b) the authority does not hold the information,
it must inform the applicant accordingly.
(2) If a person makes a request for information to a scheduled public authority and –
(a) the information is absolutely exempt information or qualified exempt information; or
(b) if the authority does not hold the information, the information would be absolutely exempt information or qualified exempt information if it had held it, the authority may refuse to inform the applicant whether or not it holds the information if it is satisfied that, in all the circumstances of the case, it is in the public interest to do so.
(3) If a scheduled public authority so refuses –
(a) it shall be taken for the purpose of this Law to have refused to supply the information requested on the ground that it is absolutely exempt information; and
(b) it need not inform the applicant of the specific ground upon which it is refusing the request or, if the authority does not hold the information, the specific ground upon which it would have refused the request had it held the information.
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