System to handle biometric images needs work, says Lamb

The Home Office needs to update its technology to ensure that it does not store pictures of innocent people gathered at street events, the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee chairman has said.

Norman Lamb said that police were “making do with current systems and practices even if it results in images of innocent people being retained”. He said that this was “unsatisfactory” because innocent people “rightly expect” that their images will be removed if they are not convicted.

“The government should urgently review its approach and put suitable processes and digital infrastructure in place,” Lamb said. “There is also an issue about whether some individuals even know that their image is on police databases in the first place.”