The new chief constable of Merseyside Police has said he will use technology, including facial recognition, to allow police officers to spend more time on the beat. Rob Carden, who takes up the role on Monday, said forces needed to keep pace with technology – including by being “more agile” in providing information so they could compete with social media.
Mr Carden spent most of his career with the Merseyside force, but moved to Cumbria Constabulary in 2022, where he was promoted to chief constable. He said some change was “inevitable” as he looked to build on the legacy left by predecessor Serena Kennedy at the same time as finding £31 million worth of savings in the next four to five years.
Mr Carden, the national police lead for digital data and technology, said: “Demand has become more complex. It’s more severe. So we have to find ways of being smarter in terms of policing. One of those ways is technology.
“I know, for instance, facial recognition, redaction tools, they’re great ways of freeing up officer time and providing more opportunities for officers and police staff back on the beat with the aim of improving confidence.”
He said the public would have to be reassured about facial recognition – after concerns were raised about its use by the Met Police at the Notting Hill Carnival – but said it had achieved some results in cases including “some real toe curlers”.
“Without that, we’d have some serious offences taking place, really bad people still walking the streets in London and wider areas,” he said. “I know how beneficial it is, but technology has to move forward with the confidence of people. We’ve got to reassure them that the data is used properly.”
Mr Carden described social media as a “huge opportunity” as well as a “huge challenge”. He said: “With social media, more things go out in the public realm at a swifter pace.
“The police reaction has to be the same. We’ve got to match that. We’ve got to be more agile in terms of the provision of information. As part of that, we’ve got to be transparent, with the right consultation, so people understand the reasons why we’re doing things.
“There are lots of differing views in a complex, quite uncertain world at the moment, as we’re seeing community tensions ebb and flow. All we can do is police and use legislation without fear or favour in a transparent way, with ethical policing that takes the advice and listens to communities.”
He said data was the force’s second most important asset, after people, but said change was needed to keep up with technology. He added: “The opportunities AI presents, artificial intelligence, that’s only as good as the food it’s fed with and that’s data.
“It can’t be any old data, it’s got to be quality data that’s available to as many people as possible. That’s how we keep pace with technology. The current policing model does not lend itself to moving at the pace we need.”
The new chief said people “have got to make their own minds up” about accusations of a two-tier justice system. He said: “It’s not for me to tell them what to think. My focus is on policing and what policing can do.”
Mr Carden said his biggest challenge would be building public trust and confidence in the force, but he would be focusing on neighbourhood policing and hoped to make improvements in call handling and response to calls. The Everton season ticket holder, whose father was an inspector for Merseyside Police, said he wanted to make the region safer.
He said: “I live here. My family live here. From a selfish point of view, I’m a stakeholder, so I need it to do well for selfish reasons, but from a professional perspective, I want it to be the best force in the country.”
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