Hong Kong police will incorporate facial recognition technology into their surveillance cameras as early as the end of this year, enabling officers to identify suspects and missing people in real time, the force has revealed.

Senior Superintendent Eric Leung Ming-leung said that from the end of July, the force would also expand its “SmartView” surveillance camera installation programme to mobile cameras installed on 60 patrol cars that would be able to identify vehicles and licence plates.

“We will see if it’s possible to use facial recognition in our SmartView systems by the end of this year,” Leung, of the force’s operations wing, revealed.

Police launched the SmartView project in April last year after conducting a pilot scheme to install 15 sets of cameras in Mong Kok in March. As of Wednesday, the force had installed 3,162 cameras across the city.

Leung said the force aimed to install no fewer than 2,000 sets of surveillance cameras each year from 2025 to 2027. These roughly 6,000 sets, containing more than 15,000 individual cameras, would be installed across Hong Kong by the end of 2027.

He said police would install the cameras on road signs and traffic lights, and also erect pillars for more sets this year.