Police in Cornwall say they will use live facial recognition technology near this year’s Boardmasters festival in Newquay, according to NME. The festival runs from August 5 to August 9 and features headline sets from Lily Allen, Kasabian and Fatboy Slim.
Devon and Cornwall Police said the technology will be used in the town of Newquay, but not at the festival site at Watergate Bay. Officers said the aim is to help reduce the risk of violence against women and girls, tackle organised serious crime, identify sexual offenders and stop illegal drugs being brought into the county.
Police said images of people not of interest will be automatically and permanently deleted within seconds, and that they will not keep the data. Supt Vicky Howell, the police event commander, told BBC News it is important to work with communities and festivalgoers to help prevent crime and support safeguarding.
According to the report, a police van with a biometric camera will be stationed in Killacourt to scan faces against a watch list of thousands of known criminals, suspects and people subject to sexual harm prevention orders or suspected of drug dealing. The move comes after concerns around previous editions of Boardmasters, including crowd safety issues in 2024 and reported spiking cases in 2025.
