The Hong Kong Police Force will activate facial recognition capabilities across its SmartView closed-circuit television surveillance network on November 16, Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming announced on Saturday.
Speaking to the media following a passing-out parade at the Hong Kong Police College today, Chow stated that the deployment of automated facial recognition technology is intended to provide stronger protection for law-abiding residents while serving as an active deterrent against criminal activity.
He added that the implementation of facial recognition technology offers reassurance and security to the law-abiding public while establishing heightened monitoring over prospective lawbreakers, expressing hope that the system would compel would-be offenders to reconsider the consequences of their actions before committing crimes.
Phase two expansion targets 60,000 cameras territory-wide by 2028 SmartView was formally introduced in 2024 to enhance crime prevention and public safety by installing closed-circuit cameras across known crime blackspots and densely populated public spaces throughout the territory.
Following policy blueprints set out in the 2025 Policy Address, authorities are advancing the second phase of the scheme, aiming to install more than 20,000 additional cameras annually to achieve a comprehensive network of roughly 60,000 cameras across Hong Kong by 2028.