greenbutterfly - stock.adobe.com Scottish minister clarifies police facial-recognition approach The Scottish government has confirmed its intention to ensure police use of facial recognition is lawful before deployments start taking place, unlike in England and Wales where the technology has been rolled out in a ‘legal vacuum’ without any formal scrutiny or debate Scotland will ensure that any police use of facial recognition technology is “lawful, effective, proportionate and grounded in respect for human rights,” according to the Scottish justice secretary. Writing to Scottish biometrics commissioner Brian Plastow – who urged the Scottish government in late May 2026 to introduce primary legislation for the police use of live facial-recognition (LFR) technology – Neil Gray, the cabinet secretary for justice, said the Scottish government will actively be monitoring how Westminster approaches the development of a new legal framework for the use of biometrics in law enforcement. Gray also said that while Scottish policing bodies are at least two years away from having a workable business case for the technology, he has taken note of Plastow’s “view that the introduction of primary legislation to Parliament would represent the optimal approach to establishing a statutory basis and enabling framework for the limited and proportionate use of LFR by Police Scotland”. Gray added although it would be “premature” for the Scottish government to commit to primary legislation on LFR given these circumstances, it stands ready to work with Plastow and others to ensure that any use of the technology is “lawful, effective, proportionate and grounded in respect for human rights”. He further added that any draft legislation for police biometrics published in England and Wales will be “carefully assessed” by the Scottish government for both its applicability and implications. The clarification on how Scotland will approach police LFR follows the Kings Speech in mid-May 2026,