Masks & Make-Up to Defeat Automated Facial Recognition

As automated systems improve, steps will be taken by criminals and researchers to defeat it. This article shows how masks, make-up, visors and other methods are being deployed to frustrate facial recognition systems. All the more reason to utilise HUMAN Super Recognisers. Article below:

https://bigthink.com/the-present/facial-recognition/#Echobox=1640581258

Super Recognisers to Feature on Canadian Television

Super Recognisers will feature on the Canadian channel CBC on 21st January at 8pm (Eastern Standard Time) on a programme entitled “In Your Face”. This will be further publicity to promote the use of Super Recognition in North America. A Vimeo link will be sent to the Association and this will be shared in due course.

Happy Christmas to all Association Members & Here's to a Better 2022!

The Chairman of the Association, the Honourable the Lord Lingfield and the CEO, Mike Neville, wish all our Association members and their families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. The use of Super Recognisers has spread across the globe and this will continue in 2022.

Dates for your new diary - The next SRI Ltd on-line course will be run from 1st-3rd March.

Super Recognisers & the Madeleine McCann Case

A Super Recognisers has produced a new sketch of what Madeleine McCann may look like today. The CEO of the Association has long insisted that the best way of finding the missing girl, if she is still alive, is by using images.

For the sketch and the article, see:

How Madeleine McCann would look today aged 18, according to 'recogniser' - Wales Online

Police Receive Super Recogniser Awards from Lord Lingfield

On 29th November 2021 in London, officers from the City of London, Metropolitan, Thames Valley and West Midlands Police forces received awards from the Right Honourable, The Lord Lingfield, the Chairman of the Association of Super Recognisers.    These human Super Recognisers have a fantastic (innate) memory for faces.   In policing, Super Recognisers have found suspects and victims in several high-profile cases, including the Salisbury Novichok poisonings, London Riots, the murder of Alice Gross and on the Hillsborough Enquiry.   They have also been used to linked up to 43 volume crimes together by images.   Super Recognisers are the ideal people to verify automated facial recognition identifications.

 

Four serving officers received the highest award from the Association, Honorary Fellowship.    DCI Steve Jones of Thames Valley and Inspector Luke Harley of the City Police were rewarded for their enthusiasm in organising Super Recogniser programmes in their respective forces.  PCSO Andy Pope of the West Midlands Police was recognised for making over two thousand identifications from CCTV images and PC Patrick O’Riordan of the Met Police was acknowledged for his work on the Grenfell Inquiry.   Using his skills, Pat created a timeline of the victims as they entered the block and also produced key evidence, that helped to convict seventeen fraudsters.  Super Recognisers are exceptional at noting who is in footage, as well as those who are not.

 

Seven Thames Valley Police super recognisers, including PC Lucy Fleming, the highest scorer on the University of Greenwich tests, received their Licentiate certificates.  In addition to being tested on their abilities relating to short and long term memory, image matching and spotting faces in a crowd, these officers completed a course covering operational Super Recogniser tactics, together with relevant legislation.  This included identification, data protection, Human Rights and surveillance laws and Codes of Practice.   Spotting suspicious behaviour was also covered.

 

Professor Josh Davis of Greenwich University, the academic expert in this field, Prof Davis noted that, "Police forces would benefit from establishing which of their officers have the super recogniser skill.  This would enable them to solve more crimes and make communities safer."

 

Lord Lingfield added, "It was wonderful to present certificates to the police officers, who had completed the Super Recogniser course.  I especially congratulate those awarded Honorary Fellowship.  They have done much to drive super recognition forward."

 

 

For further information contact mike.neville@superrecognisersinternational.com or 07415 634613

Super Recognizers (US Spelling!) Feature in the Washington Post

The Washington Post has featured two recent articles relating to the research into Super Recognisers and their operational use. Two police officers members of the Association feature - PC Pat O’Riordan from the Metropolitan Police in London and Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Andy Pope of the West Midlands Police, who is based in Birmingham. Pat will be familiar to course attendees and both will be receiving awards at the Association Presentation Day on 29th November.

See the articles here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/facial-recognition-has-its-limits-just-ask-the-super-recognizers/2021/11/15/a37ec45c-45ed-11ec-beca-3cc7103bd814_story.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/super-recognizer-facial-memory/2021/10/29/4cf80caa-2159-11ec-b3d6-8cdebe60d3e2_story.html

Thames Valley Police Officers Praise Super Recogniser Course

Another Super Recogniser Course was held at the Thames Valley Police Training Centre near Reading (5-8 Oct).  The feedback from the students was excellent:

 

Police Constable, Intelligence Section – “…this was a brilliant course…(with) input from people with such expertise and knowledge.”

 

Police Constable, Surveillance Team – “One of the most interesting courses I have done in the Police. Great to see TVP investing in the workforce, thinking outside the box and leading the way in this field.”

 

Police Constable, Response Team – “An engaging and professional week with passionate speakers sharing skills and knowledge gained over many decades; a great learning opportunity.”

 

Detective Constable, Priority Crime Team – “The course was very good, one of the most interesting I have taken in TVP. The visiting speakers were excellent. Well worth attending if you’re interested in ID evidence”.

 

Detective Sergeant, CID – “It was brilliant to learn that I have a natural aptitude for facial recognition…The course demonstrated those benefits and how the skills can be used to detect crime and bring more offenders to justice…It is clear that regardless of the improvements and advances in computer facial recognition programmes human intervention remains key to use this data evidentially.”