Suffolk Police has confirmed that Live Facial Recognition technology will be in use at First Light Festival between 11am and 8pm on Saturday 20th June.
Police say the technology will be set up in and around the festival area as part of their plans for one of Lowestoft’s biggest public events.
Live Facial Recognition, or LFR, uses cameras to compare faces in real time with a police watchlist. Suffolk Police says this helps keep people safe, prevent crime, and find people wanted for serious offences.
Lowestoft Wire asked Suffolk Police to explain how the technology will work at First Light, what safeguards are in place, and what festivalgoers should know before they arrive.
Why is it being used?
Suffolk Police says the watchlist could include people wanted on warrants, those wanted for serious offences, people recalled to prison, and anyone seen as a possible risk to the public.
Police say the technology will not monitor everyone at the festival. It only checks live images against a specific watchlist.
If someone is not on the watchlist, police say the system will not flag them.
Where will it be used?
Suffolk Police told Lowestoft Wire that the vans will be set up in and around the First Light Festival area.
Police did not share the exact locations of the vans but said they will be easy for the public to see.
Police also confirmed the technology will be running from 11am to 8pm during the main part of the festival.
The free Saturday program at First Light Festival runs from noon to 9:30pm, with extra ticketed Sundown events later in the evening.
Will people know before entering the area?
Suffolk Police says there will be signs before people enter the facial recognition area.
Lowestoft Wire asked if festivalgoers can avoid the recognition zone if they want to.
Police said signs will be posted so people can choose to avoid those areas.
This is an important point for residents and visitors, especially since First Light is a free, open beachfront festival and not a closed, ticketed event.
What happens to people who are not matched?
Suffolk Police says that data or images of anyone not on the watchlist are deleted immediately and not stored.
Police also told Lowestoft Wire that all data is erased from the system at the end of the deployment and no biometric data is kept.
According to Suffolk Police’s public guidance, if there is a positive match, officers at the scene will confirm the person’s identity and decide what to do next.
In other words, the technology does not make the final decision. Officers are responsible for what happens next.
Who controls the data?
The equipment used at First Light is supplied by Bedfordshire Police.
Lowestoft Wire asked Suffolk Police who controls the data during the deployment and which force is responsible for oversight.
Suffolk Police said it manages the data collected and is responsible for oversight.
What happened last year?
Suffolk Police also used Live Facial Recognition at last year’s First Light Festival.
Police figures show that in 2025, the system scanned 72,072 faces, triggered three alerts, led to three arrests, and had no false alerts.
Suffolk Police says they will share this year’s post-event figures on their website after the festival.
What remains unclear?
Police have provided more details about operating hours, signage, data deletion, and oversight.
However, the exact locations of the vans have not been given, except that they will be 'in and around' the festival area.
Lowestoft Wire also contacted First Light Festival organisers to ask if visitors will be informed through the festival website, social media, signs, or other event information. At the time of publication, there was no response.
A public safety measure with public-interest questions
Suffolk Police is using Live Facial Recognition to help keep the public safe.
Police say the goal is to identify people wanted for serious reasons, such as warrants, prison recall, serious offences, and those who may pose a risk to the public.
Because the technology is being used in a public place during one of Lowestoft’s biggest events, residents should have clear information about where it is used, how they will be informed, what data is collected, and what happens after the event.
Based on what Suffolk Police told Lowestoft Wire, the system will run from 11am to 8pm, signs will be posted, people can choose to avoid recognition zones, non-matched data will be deleted immediately, and post-event figures will be published.
Lowestoft Wire will update this article if more information is received from First Light Festival organisers.