Face scanning technology to be used by police at Wrexham vs Shrewsbury match this weekend

The Live Facial Recognition kit (LFR) was first used by North Wales Police at Holyhead Port in May and proved successful, says the force.

Use of the technology at the football match this Saturday will form part of matchday policing arrangements for the League One fixture.

North Wales Police Chief Superintendent Mark Williams said: “LFR technology enables police forces to identify suspects, persons wanted on warrant and missing persons.

“The use of this technology by North Wales Police is designed to be responsible, proportionate, and fair.

"It aims to keep the public safe by identifying serious offenders and protecting the vulnerable."

Ch Supt Williams adds that LFR software provides an "efficient and effective way of picking known offenders out of a crowd".

“We're very keen for these people to be caught but we're also keen for innocent people to go about their day-to-day business and have a good time at a football match they've paid good money to attend."

Officers say that the "law-abiding public" should be reassured that the system is specifically looking for wanted people and "does not record or store the faces of anyone that it is not specifically seeking out".

He adds: “I would also like to emphasise that proportionality and compliance with legislation and guidelines were key considerations in deploying LFR technology at this event in Wrexham.”

Officers say that the deployment is "to support policing in the identification of persons wanted for priority offences, to support law enforcement including the administration of justice (through arrest of persons wanted on warrant or unlawfully at large/ recall to prison), and to promote safeguarding of vulnerable persons".

Locations where Live Facial Recognition technology is deployed will be clearly marked with signage.

The force has a website giving more information about the technology.

During the deployment of the technology in May the force said it had a "watchlist" of 1,822 individuals.

It scanned 6,259 faces, with zero alerts.

At the last encounter between the local rival teams at a cup tie in Shropshire in January, six people were arrested.

Four people had been arrested in relation to a "brawl" on the Friday before the Saturday game, after officers were called to reports of a group of men fighting on Ellesmere Road in Shrewsbury.

During the rest of the weekend's football revelries, one man was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly and was released under investigation.

Another man was arrested on suspicion of affray but later released with no further action.