Ethnic minority groups in Wales four times more likely to be target of police facial scans

Exclusive: South Wales police figures show BAME people accounted for 24% of selected scans in 2025, despite being 7% of population

Ethnic minority people are four times more likely than their white counterparts to be chosen for some police facial scans, according to official data, sparking warnings of racial bias.

Internal figures released by South Wales police revealed that 24% of people selected by police for facial recognition checks were from ethnic minorities, despite this group making up only 7% of the area’s total population.