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UK immigration enforcement plans to use the technology to identify people within its “population of interest”. Photo of officers in London, by Philafrenzy
Irish authorities were warned in advance that thousands of Irish travellers would be scanned using live facial recognition technology at Holyhead, it has emerged.
Last week, The Detail reported that UK immigration enforcement officers scanned ferry passengers arriving from Dublin at the Welsh port.
The move followed an earlier trial in November 2025, during which more than 7,500 faces were scanned over six days, leading to one arrest.
It can now also be revealed that the cost of that operation was £50,000.
Data from the most recent operation in February 2026 has yet to be released.
The trial has prompted concern among civil liberties groups, who say the rapid expansion of live facial recognition technology risks enabling mass surveillance and discriminatory policing.
Olga Cronin, a senior policy officer at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, said that “Irish citizens and residents are having their biometric data processed without them having done anything to raise suspicion…simply for getting on a ferry.”
Ms Cronin was also critical of government plans “to bring this flawed but powerful technology to the streets of Ireland.”
Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan confirmed that his department had been advised in advance of the trial at Holyhead.
“Ireland and the UK share a common interest in the effective operation of the Common Travel Area,” Mr O’Callaghan said in a written response to People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Paul Murphy.
He pointed to “extensive engagement, cooperation and information sharing” between his department and the UK Home Office.
“I can confirm that my officials were advised of the proposed trial of the technology at Holyhead port.
“While it is in the nature of that cooperation that both parties keep each other apprised of relevant developments…immigration measures implemented by the UK are entirely a matter for the UK authorities.”
An Garda Síochána will soon be granted powers to use live facial recognition, but the Government has promised it will only be used in emergency situations such as terrorism or missing persons cases.
The UK pilot goes much further and will use the technology to detect immigration offences.
Internal UK Home Office documents state that the immigration enforcement division plans to use the technology to identify people within its “population of interest”.
Holyhead was selected as a pilot after intelligence suggested individuals were returning to the UK in breach of deportation orders.
During the first three-day trial in November, 2,038 faces were scanned with no matches. A further 5,474 faces were scanned during a second three-day deployment later that month, generating two alerts, one of whom was arrested.
UK policing minister Sarah Jones, who is championing the expansion of the technology, confirmed the cost of the November pilot last week as £50,000.
In a written parliamentary response, Ms Jones said “this was to cover the cost of the police technical support for six days of deployments and the watchlist production.”
The use of the technology at the port has also drawn criticism in Wales.
Llinos Medi, Plaid Cymru MP for Ynys Môn, which includes Holyhead, said she had concerns about the proportionality of the operation.
“The scanning of large numbers of passengers raises important questions about the impact of mass surveillance on individual rights.
“We also know there are risks around accuracy. In London in 2025, 80% of those wrongly identified by live police facial recognition were black.”
In a case reported last week, a UK man is suing the police after being arrested for burglary in a city he’d never visited. Facial recognition had misidentified him with another person of south Asian heritage.