Last December marked the beginning of an innovative three-month trial for Reveal's facial recognition technology.

The trial, in partnership with GO! Southampton and Synergy Security, aims to enhance safety within Southampton's vibrant night-time economy. The initiative involves equipping door staff at seven of the city's busiest social venues with Reveal's K7 body cameras, which feature live facial recognition technology. Based on a curated watchlist of individuals banned from entering night-time venues in Southampton — most commonly referred to as the 'red card scheme' — this live facial recognition trial is supported by a consortium of partners and marks a significant step forward in proactive crime prevention and community safety.

Alasdair Field, CEO of Reveal said: “This trial with GO! Southampton and Synergy Security epitomises the considered and careful approach we envisage for the application of facial recognition. The vision of adding a layer of proactive detection and intelligence to assist with the simple aim of keeping people safe is a core motivation for us as we continue to drive enhanced body-worn video, and we’re looking forward to seeing how our solution benefits both door staff and revellers in Southampton”.

Echoing this sentiment, Jade McCauley, Operations Manager at GO! Southampton said: “We think using this technology, we’re safeguarding people having a good night out from criminals that shouldn’t be in our night-time economy”.

On the first evening of deployment, one banned individual was detected, and within 24 hours, three had been identified and deterred from entering the venue. As the trial progresses, the outcomes and lessons learnt will undoubtedly contribute valuable insights into the effectiveness of facial recognition technology in public safety applications.

To learn more about the trial and its implications for Southampton's night-time economy, details can be found in this comprehensive FAQ page. Or, watch our on-demand webinar for an opportunity to learn about the preliminary results and hear first-hand experiences from those involved in the trial.

We are actively seeking to expand our trials across the UK exploring a variety of settings to underscore the versatility and effectiveness of facial recognition technology, including identifying individuals with football banning orders to prevent them from entering stadiums. If you are interested in participating or learning more about future trials, please get in touch.