Thames Valley Police Course Success!

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In late November, a second group of officers from Thames Valley Police took part in a Super Recognisers selection and training course.  Thames Valley is a large provincial force, which covers three English counties – Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.  This was the first time the course had been run entirely online, with Super Recognisers International Ltd delivering what Detective Inspector Steve Jones described as “a really informative and beneficial product for our staff to test their skills in the art of Super Recognition.”

 

The thirteen police students were tested on their ability to recognise and memorise faces from a range of moving and still images. The results were recorded and scientifically analysed by a team from Greenwich University headed by Professor Josh Davis, who updated the course on his latest research.  Super Recogniser ability is rated by a ‘Z’ score. On this course, students ranged from -10 to +3.  A score of 0.5 or over results in classification as a Super Recogniser and anything above one is excellent - Sergeant Nick Perks from Aylesbury, scored +3.52. The course lead, retired Detective Chief Inspector Mike Neville, described him as being “Exceptional…..a super super recogniser!”

 

The feedback from the course was very positive, and included comments such as:

 

“I…found the course incredibly informative and interesting. It was fascinating hearing about the use of SRs from an investigative point of view and something I’ll be taking away for the future.”

 

“I have thoroughly enjoyed it and got loads from it.”

 

DI Jones added “During times of austerity, where we need to make best use of our resources and spend wisely – what better than to utilise the skills our officers and staff already possess! The use of Super Recognisers to link offences, to enhance the process of serious crime CCTV reviews, to spot potential offenders in a crowd before they commit offences are just some of the great ways Super Recognisers can be used. And it’s not just limited to Police Officers! We also have staff from departments such as CCTV and Control Room, so it really is an inclusive role.”

 

Lord Lingfield, the Chairman of the Association of Super Recognisers stated that “It is wonderful to see Thames Valley Police making use of super recognisers to enhance their crime fighting capacity. I look forward to conferring upon Detective Inspector Jones the Honorary Fellowship of the Association of Super Recogniser to acknowledge his exemplary work in promoting this new field of policing.”

 

Thames Valley Police have plans for a further course in 2021 and a number of staff are already on the waiting list.    Any police force, military unit or security company wishing to hold a similar bespoke course for their staff should contact Mike at mike.neville@superrecognisersinternational.com to discuss dates and prices. 

 

Individual officers or members of the public can book a place on the next open-to-all on-line course, which will be held 23rd to 25th February 2021.   Members of the Association are entitled to a discounted price.

 

 

Association Presentation Day - Date to be Agreed

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Given the on-going uncertainty regarding the impact of Covid 19 on travel, especially international flights, the Presentation Day scheduled for 4th February 2021 has been cancelled. A new date will be arranged for later in 2021, when the issues regarding travel have become clearer. The CEO apologises to all concerned.

Super Recogniser Units Spread Across Germany→

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The first Super Recogniser Unit on mainland Europe was in Munich and other German police forces are making use of SRs including forces in Berlin, Stuttgart. According to this article in the Berliner Zeitung newspaper, Leipzig in Saxony is interested in utilising the tactic. The Association is ready and available to assist law enforcement units in Germany.

https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/mensch-metropole/die-berliner-polizei-sucht-den-super-recogniser-li.107536

The Manchester Arena Terrorist Attack

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The terrorist attack on the Manchester Arena in 2017 has shown how security and policing of large-scale events MUST be improved, if we are to have any chance of preventing further tragedies.   The idea that anyone can be a CCTV operator, security guard or steward (and, of course, paid the minimum wage) must be changed.   It is dreadful that eighteen-year-old steward, Kyle Lawler, must now live with the fact that he had spotted the terrorist, Salman Abedi, but did not intervene as he was afraid of being called a “racist”. Likewise, police officers deployed to spot offenders should be properly selected for the role.

We now know that Abedi had visited the Arena when fans were queuing for a Take That concert, to conduct hostile reconnaissance.  He did not fit the demographic for that event or the Ariana Grande show on 22nd May 2017.  If the CCTV operators, security staff had been tested for human Super Recogniser skills, then someone may have noted his presence and alarm bells may have rung more quickly – giving more time for action.   These tests can also be conducted for police officers – what police chief would not want to know if officers and staff have these skills?

Also, if these Super Recognisers were trained to spot suspicious behaviour AND justify what they had seen, they would:

a.     Have spotted Abedi faster, by his actions

b.     Not been afraid of being accused of “racism” as they could account for their actions.

Automated facial recognition may also help with security, but again, some believe that anyone can operate such systems.  The US National Institute of Standards and Technology made clear that trained facial examiners or Super Recognisers must be used.  The former role takes years of study, the latter, Super Recogniser, can be selected and trained in a week as it is a natural skill.   Added to all this, we have the challenge of a mask wearing public.  With much of the face covered, identification is even more difficult, but again, we know that Super Recognisers can recognise suspects just by their eyes.

We need to remember the chilling words of the IRA, after the Brighton 1984 bomb, which killed five in an attempt to assassinate the Prime Minister - “…we only have to be lucky once — you have to be lucky always.”    We can improve our chances of identifying those who want to harm us.  We must change how we train and select CCTV operators, security staff and police officers, who are deployed to spot suspicious individuals and known terrorists and criminals.   The deaths of twenty-two innocent people in Manchester demand it.

https://www.associationofsuperrecognisers.org/courses

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-54695580

 

Robbers Take Advantage of Covid-19 Masks - Super Recognisers to the Rescue!→

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Another reason for law enforcement agencies to recruit and use human Super Recognisers, who can often identify suspects just from their eyes: Only a few months ago it would have been highly suspicious to enter a bank or a store wearing a mask - now it is part of everyday life AND criminals are taking advantage of this situation, as this US articles highlights. BUT there is a solution, a recently selected City of London Police detective identified a surgical mask wearing burglar. He has now been convicted and banned from entering the City area.

https://qz.com/1837529/thieves-are-capitalizing-on-the-publics-use-of-covid-19-masks/

Thames Valley Police expand the use of Super Recognisers

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Thames Valley Police cover the English counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. The latest edition of “Thamesview”, the Force magazine, features an article on the use of Super Recognisers. Detective Inspector Steve Jones of the Serious & Organised Crime Unit is keen to use Super Recognisers and has already sent a number of his officers onto the Super Recognisers International course. Steve said; “We have been working with the Joint Operations Unit and Force Intelligence Bureau in TVP to increase the use of Super Recognisers in areas such as public order. We’re also keen to develop a central team in the intelligence function to review images of unidentified offenders across the force area in an effort to identify them and bring them to justice”. He continued; “There are also plans to work with Counter Terrorism Policing to identify subjects who may be involved in terrorist activity. Over and above this, there are opportunities to work in the digital arena, such as identifying victims whose images have been shared online.”

The Association is always willing to assist law enforcement agencies.

West Midlands Police Super Recogniser Nominated for Award→

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A REDDITCH police officer (AND member of the Association of Super Recognisers) who spotted a record 406 wanted suspects in one year has been named as a finalist in the Amplifon Awards For Brave Britons 2020.

Community support officer Andy Pope, aged 42, hailed the ‘memory man’ by his colleagues, has reached the final four of the Against All Odds category in global hearing specialist Amplifon’s search for ‘The Best Of British’.

The officer, who serves with the West Midlands force, has recognised just over 2,000 suspects since 2012, including 17 in just one day.

See the link for the full article. We wish Andy the best of luck and hope that he wins the award.