In Greece, law enforcement officers will receive new devices allowing them to carry out facial recognition and fingerprint identification in real-time. The live facial recognition technology is part of a 4.5 million euro smart policing project that was announced in 2017. The goal of this initiative is to identify and verify the identity of citizens when in an altercation with or stopped by the police. The European Commission and Internal Security Fund are covering the majority of project costs.
Citizens who are not able to provide documentation when stopped by police in Greece are then transferred to the nearest police station so that officers can then use biometric data to identify the individual, such as fingerprint scanning. However, the devices will make the identification process more time-efficient and eliminate the need to transfer individuals over small ordeals, such as a traffic stop. Greek police will be issued 1,000 devices, with the option to dole out an additional 9,000 if they prove to be an effective solution.
Read More: Greek Police to Introduce Live Facial Recognition
