Facial recognition leads to arrest

Following the theft of a quad bike in Wincle, a man has been arrested.

Police responded to reports of a vehicle theft at Barlow Hill, Wincle at around 8 pm on Monday 20th May,

Officers from Cheshire’s Rural Crime Team checked CCTV which showed a man entering the address and stealing a quad bike.

An extracted CCTV image was used with Retrospective Facial Recognition software and returned a match within just two hours.

An 18-year-old man from Liverpool was arrested on Saturday 25 May charged with the theft of a motor vehicle.

He has since been bailed while enquiries continue.

Chief Inspector Zoe Bowden said: “This is an excellent result for facial recognition which allowed our officers to identify a suspect quickly and effectively, clearly demonstrating how useful the software can be to policing.

“We’ll continue to embrace Retrospective Facial Recognition technology, and utilise all resources available to us to keep the people of Cheshire safe.”

Enquiries in relation to this incident are still ongoing and as part of their investigation, officers would like to appeal for any witnesses to come forward.

To report any information, you can contact Cheshire Police via https://www.cheshire.police.uk/tell-us or call 101, quoting 24000457389.

Information can also be reported anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.