Exclusive | Facial recognition coming to CCTVs at Hong Kong’s party hub Lan Kwai Fong: police chief

Force also looking into installing car plate recognition system in city’s surveillance cameras, Commissioner of Police Raymond Siu reveals

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Facial recognition cameras coming to Lan Kwai Fong party hub, says Hong Kong police chief

Jess Ma

Published: 8:30am, 26 Oct 2024Updated: 8:50am, 26 Oct 2024

Hong Kong’s first set of 50 surveillance cameras installed by police at party district Lan Kwai Fong will have crowd counting capabilities for the coming Halloween festivities, with facial recognition technology to be added next year, the city’s police chief has revealed.

Commissioner of Police Raymond Siu Chak-yee told the Post in an exclusive interview on Tuesday that the force would also consider installing a car plate recognition system in the city’s surveillance cameras.

Hong Kong has begun to install surveillance cameras in crime hotspots across the city, with authorities previously pledging to install 2,000 to 2,500 cameras per year from 2025.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung revealed on Wednesday that around 300 cameras have been installed this year, with over 30 cases solved with the help of the new cameras.

Authorities installed 15 sets of surveillance cameras in Mong Kok this March as a part of a pilot scheme, while 13 sets were added in Western district two months ago.

While the 50 sets of cameras in Lan Kwai Fong currently do not possess facial recognition functions, a crowd counting system had been installed in the cameras to aid crowd management during festivals like Halloween, Siu said.