Faces of 20m Britons are being held on the police database

Police forces hold more than 20million mugshots and this risks undermining public confidence, a watchdog has warned. Professor Paul Wiles, the independent Biometrics Commissioner, said there was a real danger the number of facial recognition images stored would rocket. He said the lack of laws controlling the use of the crime-fighting technology risked damaging confidence in the UK's model of policing by consent. Forces store more than 20million pictures and videos, known as custody images, taken at police stations of people they have arrested or questioned. Professor Paul Wiles, the independent Biometrics Commissioner, said there was a real danger the number of facial recognition images stored would rocket.