UK police fight crime using 'super recognizers'

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Since 2011, about 200 London police officers have been recruited to an elite squad of super recognizers. As a result, officials say they have tripled the number of criminal suspects identified from surveillance photos or on the street each week, and even helped prevent some crimes like muggings, drug deals and assaults.

"When we have an image of an unidentified criminal, I know exactly who to ask instead of sending it out to everyone and getting a bunch of false leads," said Mick Neville, Detective Chief Inspector at Scotland Yard. Neville started the super recognizer unit after realizing the police had no system for identifying criminals based on images, unlike those for DNA and fingerprints.

Weeks before the Notting Hill Carnival, the biggest street festival in Europe, kicked off last month, the super recognizers were given images of known criminals and gang members. After the carnival began, 17 super recognizers holed up in a control room to study surveillance footage and spot the potential troublemakers.

Once targeted people were identified, police officers were sent to the scene as a pre-emptive strategy. Neville said that likely prevented some crimes like thefts and assaults.

Neville said one super recognizer saw what he thought was a drug deal, but wasn't sure. The next day, the super recognizer saw the same person and when police intervened, they found the suspect with crack cocaine.

He noted that the officers aren't infallible and that their identification is only the start of a case, after which police start looking for other evidence.

Legal authorities warned it could be problematic to use super recognizers as expert witnesses in court, such as in situations where they identify criminals based on an imperfect image.

Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, said they weren't aware of any police forces worldwide using super recognizers or similar techniques to the London Metropolitan Police.

The abilities of some London super recognizers impressed a skeptical psychologist. Josh Davis of the University of Greenwich in England now plans to study them further.

"I think some of this is hard-wired," said Ashok Jansari, a psychologist at the University of East London.

It's like the natural advantage that sprinting champion Usain Bolt holds, he said. "Bolt has a very particular physical make-up that makes him the fastest runner in the world," he said. "You could teach other people to use the same techniques he's using, but they will never be as fast."